Empowering people to move freely while also improving security has made identity management a central issue for governments around the world. Along with the increased mobility of people which must be facilitated, governments must also deal with threats such as organised crime, illegal immigration and cybercrime. As a result, society’s conflicting demand for security on the one hand and privacy on the other is resolved through the worldwide movement towards standardisation of identity management solutions.
While some elements of identity management are familiar to the overwhelming majority of citizens – such as various government issued documents, including passports, driver’s licences and identity documents – other, newer ones aren’t. These include technologies which leverage citizen DNA as the ultimate security mechanism, and the introduction of mobile solutions to aid identity management.
However, despite the advantages they deliver, adoption of newer technologies can take time, especially in light of the movement towards standardisation.
Traditional identity management solutions demonstrate the necessity of global interoperability: each document incorporates various security features and technologies to minimise fraudulent use; as people move across borders, authentication solutions pick up on the security features embedded into government-issued, citizen-held security documents. Universally recognised markers for document authenticity are used by nations across the world to ensure that when a document is presented, it can be assessed for legitimacy.
Emerging technologies include mobile identity management solutions, designed to be used in the field and which can include a combination of a biometric fingerprint reader, card reader, camera and/or barcode scanner. Applications suit both civil and corporate environments: drivers’ licences can be verified on the road, patients can be identified via fingerprints in cases of emergencies and citizens can be biometrically enrolled for voting and social grant purposes – all with technology in the palm of your hand.
Such solutions are more likely to be used in local settings, rather than international ones – not only owing to the interoperability question which will take time to resolve, but also because mobility isn’t necessarily required at, for example, border control points.
Similarly, DNA solutions tend to be used for example, to establish the presence, or absence, of a person at a crime scene. However, broader application of DNA technology in international settings is desirable – such as in disaster management and recovery, where identification of multiple victims may be required.
It also holds potential as the ultimate biometric to establish the identity of any person beyond any question – and without presenting any opportunity for manipulation. However, for now, DNA methods still face various hurdles which include privacy and the difficulty of collecting and processing DNA samples.
For more information, contact Lise West, Bytes Systems Integration, +27 (0)11 205 7000, [email protected]
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