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The Language of Biometrics: Analysing Public Perceptions

Buckley, Oliver, Nurse, Jason R. C. (2019) The Language of Biometrics: Analysing Public Perceptions. Journal of Information Security and Applications, 47 . pp. 112-119. E-ISSN 2214-2126. (doi:10.1016/j.jisa.2019.05.001) (KAR id:73743)

Abstract

There is an increasing shift in technology towards biometric solutions, but one of the biggest barriers to widespread use is the acceptance by the users. In this paper we investigate the understanding, awareness and acceptance of biometrics by the general public. The primary research method was a survey, which had 282 respondents, designed to gauge public opinion around biometrics. Additionally, qualitative data was captured in the form of the participants' definition of the term biometrics. We applied thematic analysis as well as an automated Word Vector analysis to this data to provide a deeper insight into the perceptions and understanding of the term. Our results demonstrate that while there is generally a reasonable level of understanding of what biometrics are, this is typically limited to the techniques that are most familiar to participants (e.g., fingerprints or facial recognition). Most notably individuals' awareness overlooks emerging areas such as behavioural biometrics (e.g., gait). This was also apparent when we compared participants' views to definitions provided by official, published sources (e.g., ISO, NIST, OED, DHS). Overall, this article provides unique insight into the perceptions and understanding of biometrics as well as areas where users may lack knowledge on biometric applications.

Item Type: Article
DOI/Identification number: 10.1016/j.jisa.2019.05.001
Subjects: H Social Sciences
Q Science > QA Mathematics (inc Computing science)
Divisions: Divisions > Division of Computing, Engineering and Mathematical Sciences > School of Computing
Divisions > Division of Computing, Engineering and Mathematical Sciences > School of Engineering and Digital Arts
Divisions > Division of Human and Social Sciences > School of Psychology
Depositing User: Jason Nurse
Date Deposited: 02 May 2019 17:06 UTC
Last Modified: 04 Mar 2024 17:01 UTC
Resource URI: https://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/73743 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes)

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