Issue link: https://securitytechnologyexecutive.epubxp.com/i/956571
42 SECURIT Y TECHNOLOGY E XECUTIVE • Februar y/March 2018 • www. SecurityInfoWatch.com BIOMETRICS Facial Recognition Crosses both Security, Consumer Applications As consumers accept facial IDs on their smartphones, security's comfort levels in the public sector grow By Steve Lask y T he on again, off again love affair with biometrics in general and facial recognition, in particular, has been playing out for almost two decades. A wide range of security solutions was laid at the door- step of the Department of Homeland of Security following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Of them all, biometrics became the sweetheart technology of the news media and of politicians looking for a quick and high-profile answer to thwart- ing future catastrophic events. The biometrics industry at the time, which consisted of mostly private engineering-led companies and under- funded entrepreneurs, featured solu- tions that were more hype than reality in all forms from fingerprint identifica- tion and iris scanning to voice recogni- tion and hand geometrics. But with the new DHS mantra of "security through identification," biometrics had found a champion and politicians had gained a new object of affection. The one biometric modality that emerged as the media darling was facial recognition because of its potential for Growing consumer acceptance of facial recognition technolog y is driving security and public safety applications.