biometric technology
facial recognition technologies raise a
slew of ethical concerns for deployers,
given that the use of such technology
must (should) be communicated and
agreed upon prior to engagement. The
ethical implications of biometric security
aren’t limited to sharing the fact that
data will be captured and recorded, but
also what is being done with that data.
Can, and will, the data be used in ways
not initially intended?
For example, while a customer may
agree to the use of biometric data to
provide custom content or a more
secure kiosk experience, does that
customer also agree that their biometric
data can be shared for other marketing
functions, or even more broadly, for
law enforcement purposes or other
unrelated sharing of data? It's a concern
that must be addressed to maintain
trust.
Integrating facial recognition
Kiosk system software companies
have already begun integrating
facial recognition technology into
their capabilities. While the ethical
privacy concerns may still need to be
addressed, the technological capability
is already here. The ethical concern
surrounding facial recognition isn’t new,
as law enforcement has long used facial
recognition for surveillance purposes.
Additional concerns around the quality
of the identification using biometric data
make using biometric data for security
less optimal.
While having a kiosk recognise a
user’s preferences when they approach
the device might be appealing for the
time savings and targeted content
delivery it provides, it would be less
appealing if the kiosk misidentified the
user and shared someone else’s data or
charged another user’s account, instead.
Some biometric identification databases
and methods offer more security than
others and are only effective when the
data in their database is both accurate
and robust.
A far less invasive and risky method of
using biometric technologies on kiosk
deployments can be found in using
identifying characteristics to serve
relevant content that isn’t individualised
for a specific user. For example, serving
product information or attract screens
that target teenagers makes sense when
a teenager is recognised by the device,
and, more importantly, does no harm
when the device misjudges the individu-
al's age.
As biometric identification
technologies become more accepted by
the public, as the technology continues
to become more accurate and proven,
and as prices for quality biometric
devices continue to decrease, the kiosk
industry will see more integrations,
more demand, and more prominent
use cases. Still, the market must
drive this forward, and care must be
taken to make sure that users are
comfortable with the technology. Kiosk
manufacturers and software developers
will provide the tools and potential, but
only deployers can determine when and
if biometric capabilities are right for their
users. n
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