Web ID

Biometrics have been around for a long time for access to buildings, vaults and other high value entry points.  Historically, these have been physical locations and needed specialized hardware to capture biometrics and compare the results with a database of authorized personnel. Biometrics use has been limited because these installations required sophisticated and expensive on-site biometric equipment.  This has all changed with the advent of smartphone cameras.  You are hard pressed today to find someone who does not carry a mobile phone with them at all times (a large majority of which are smartphones with high quality cameras). 

The fundamental problem with all online access is identifying the user that is presenting a valid login and password.  This information could be stolen, so other solutions have come on the market that allow adding security questions, sending one-time passwords, requiring complex and frequent password changes, as well as both software and hardware tokens.  These “password fixes” increase security by requiring the user to have access to this second form of ID along with their login and password.  Enterprise solutions go even further to add “context” to determine if the person is the actual account holder, using things like IP addresses and proximity of phone to laptop.  These all reduce identity risk, but they are more complex, inconvenient and expensive to implement. They are also not nearly as strong as user biometrics.

The ability to capture biometrics on an individual basis via their mobile phone opens the doors for “proving identity” at any endpoint, whether at home, in the office or anywhere in the public domain.  User biometrics available at all times from anywhere is also changing forms of personal ID.  Facial biometrics can now be required to gain access to online accounts and services, traditionally requiring just a login and password.  Non-Web use cases like physical access, user location verification and other applications can now be enabled with mobile phone based biometrics as well. Smartphone use for ID from voice and behavioral biometrics is also growing in market acceptance. 

With biometrics, users are able to utilize their personal attributes to prove their identity.  Universal biometric IDs are now possible for anyone to use with any device, application or use case. However, the common denominator for anywhere, anytime access is the pervasive mobile smartphone.  The world is moving toward mobile biometrics as the standard from which all future identity verification will come.  This will lead us into a “passwordless” world that is now (finally) visible on the horizon.

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