Remember the movie, “Minority Report”? Tom Cruise walks through a mall and the displays along the wall scan him biometrically and adjust the advertisements to his character. This seems a bit futuristic, but our Internet experience is already following this paradigm. The only difference is that our systems are tracking us based on our likes and dislikes through software online. Soon this will all change.
The leap to being biometrically identified is not a large one from where we are now. There are already facial recognition systems installed in places where crowds gather that can identify people just by looking at them. Add to these systems a skin texture analysis system, and they can get close to telling who you are as you pass by. Throw in a few more variables, such as your posture, how you walk, weight, shape, etc... and they should be able to nail just about anyone down to 100%.
When I enter my server room my thumbprint is scanned before the door will unlock. Many security systems currently in use scan our digits, eyes, voice and faces. If you think these things invade your privacy, you’re right. You can either go along with this detailed tracking of your body parts, or get another job.
To a point we have a choice right now on what we give up for analysis. This is rapidly changing however. Remember the facial recognition systems discussed above? Many believe that as long as you’re in a public area you give up your right to privacy. People can video you, take your picture, and yes, even scan your face as you walk by.
I’m not sure if the government will ever start collecting biometric data from us at birth, although hospitals do take blood and check for all sorts of things when we’re born already. This final invasion of our bodies, if publicized much, would create a backlash of resistance.
The way biometric tracking will hook us in will be by providing easier use of services if we agree to be scanned and entered into a global database. Beware the cloud...
In the future when we approach our vehicles they will just know it’s us by scanning our features and unlock the doors and possibly even start up, change the radio station, adjust the seats and mirrors, and finally adjust the temperature to how we like it.
When we sit at any computer, the computer will already have scanned us and know who we are, then bring down our preferred desktop from the “cloud”. We will no longer require passwords, or have to adjust a strange computer to the environment we prefer, it will just provide what we like.
Our phones will also adjust to us. If I pick up a friends phone it may switch to my screens, show my contacts, and respond to my voice for dialing. All of our information will be cloud-based and accessible no matter what device we pick up to use. We’re not exactly there yet, but companies already offer services that come close to this.
With biometrics, our technology will more closely become one with us, an extension of who we are. It will seem like magic as we are able to control whatever machine we walk up to.
Some of you may think this a fantasy, but I believe this is where our future will lead us.
