Areas of Unrest

1 December 2006 - Fingerprints

Yes, I'm doing Holidailies again, because, well, why not? Which is still one of the best reasons to do anything.

Anyway, since that could mean new readers, I thought an entry on an identity related topic would be a good idea. And what could be more closely linked to our identities than our fingerprints? Yes, there are other biometrics - iris scans, retina scans, voice prints , DNA - but those all require far more technology to get at. Somewhere in the 19th century (or maybe earlier - I know it was before 1894 because that's when Mark Twain used the trick) somebody figured out that all those swirls and whorls are unique identifiers. There must be some environmental influence, as well as the genetics, though, since my understanding is that identical twins don't have identical fingerprints. I'm now curious about the fingerprints of Siamese twins. They must be different because even our right and left hands have different fingerprints.

The main reason I was thinking about fingerprints has to do with work. You see, we have biometrics on our computers at work. You register two or more fingers when you get your account and then you can log in by just pressing your finger on the sensor. It's pretty cool, gee-whiz stuff. Except that it doesn't always work. If your hand is cold or your skin is too dry or any of a myriad of other reasons, the sensor won't recognize you. You get three tries, and then have to use your password instead, assuming you remember it. I figured that my need to do this frequently just meant I had a defective sensor.

Recently, I had to replace an ID card that has embedded fingerprints. The sensor on their reader could not scan my fingers consistently. We tried several different fingers until it worked.. I sensed the technician who makes the cards getting frustrated with me, as if something I was doing was at fault.

All this makes me wonder whether my fingerprints might be defective. Am I wasting myself on honest work when I could pursue a life of crime without the added expense of gloves? Or would the old fashioned technology of inks and powders and insufflators have no trouble whatsoever catching me?

I am not my fingerprints.