Iris scan may be used as identification tool, says Nasscom
By agencies   |   Wednesday, 23 August 2006, 19:30 IST
Printer Print Email Email
NEW DELHI: IT industry association Nasscom is considering using iris recognition as a tool for personal identification. The current practice is of registering fingerprint data in the national skills registry (NSR) database for IT and BPO employees. The hi-tech iris scan as a personal identification tool was made famous by Tom Cruise’s sci-fi thriller Minority Report. “Compared to fingerprint identification, we feel iris scan is more effective and less intrusive technology. We are currently evaluating replacing the fingerprint data with an iris scan, and hope to take a decision in three weeks after consulting the industry,” Nasscom Vice President Sunil Mehta said. Iris identification technology involves the acquisition, analysis, and comparison of the unique details contained in the intricate patterns of the furrows and ridges of the iris. The possibility of a false positive is extremely low as even the right and left eyes of a person are distinctly different. The technology is non-intrusive and offers a high reliability rate for one-to-one verification. Moreover, according to analysts, relative speed and ease of use make it a great potential biometric. “We have already registered 18,000 professionals in NSR and in case we decide to go for this scan we may ask them to undergo the same without any additional charges. A decision is yet to taken on some of these issues,” Mehta said. The registry contains third-party verified personnel, qualification and career information of IT professionals. The data collected from the iris scan would go into the NSR database and the individual would be issued a unique identity number based on these submissions. This will come in handy in cases where the prospective employer doubts the identity of a candidate.

siliconindia