Since 2014, I have written a number of posts in our Take on Payments blog on biometrics technology—the automated capture of an individual's unique physical or behavioral characteristics—and related issues. In fact, the Retail Payments Risk Forum (RPRF) hosted a conference on biometrics in November 2015 that brought experts in the field from all over the world to discuss the present and future state of the biometrics being used in consumer applications. Since that time, we have seen some smartphones move from using fingerprint readers to using facial recognition to authenticate users, with some applications even using voice recognition.
But as developers and users are discovering, not all biometric methodologies are equally suited for all applications. We have to consider factors such as risk level, cost, operating environment, and targeted population to determine if a particular biometric modality is better suited than another for an intended application. And along with the technology, a host of policy issues such as privacy, consent, and trust have emerged.
We had hoped to convene another comprehensive biometrics conference this fall but due to the COVID-19 restrictions on group gatherings, we have postponed the event and hope to convene it in the fall 2021. We continue to seek ways to fulfill the RPRF's mission of research and education on payment risk issues, so will focus on biometrics in our next Talk About Payments webinar, which is scheduled for the afternoon of October 29.
We are excited to have James "Jim" Loudermilk
as our guest in discussing the current state of biometrics in authentication as well as related policy issues. Jim was a technology executive with the Federal Bureau of Investigation for 21 years, where he represented the bureau nationally and internationally on identification and innovation issues. He was a member of the FBI Biometric Steering Committee and represented the FBI with the National Science Foundation Center for Identification Technology Research. Jim is highly regarded by his peers for his knowledge of biometrics and their applications.
I hope you will join Jim and me as we discuss all things biometrics on October 29 from 3 to 4 p.m. (ET). The webinar is open to the public and free of charge, but you must register in advance to participate. Once you've registered, you will receive a confirmation email with login and call-in information. You can register here or through our Talk About Payments web page. If you have any questions concerning the webinar please direct them to me at David.lott@atl.frb.org. Jim and I look forward to seeing you on the 29th.
Be well.
David Lott, a payments risk expert in the Retail Payments Risk Forum at the Atlanta Fed