Biometrics

Biometric verification involves identifying someone through one of their unique biological traits. Biometric authentication is based on the measurement of a physical or behavioral trait that makes each individual unique. The process of identification relies on a computer-driven system that collects unique biological identifiers like fingerprints, retina scans, or digital photos, digitizes them, and stores them in a central database. Other biological traits includes outline of a hand, ear shape, voice patterns, and even body odor. 

Body odor? I don't even want to know how that works.

A biometric identification system is supposed to make identification more secure by making identity theft more difficult. This argument is used by the EC as their means to get rid of phantom voters.

Proponents list the benefits of biometric includes security, automation and convenience. According to Simeio Solutions, it's not possible to re-engineer a fingerprint if advanced biometric systems such as provided by themselves or BioGuard is used. The system would never hold a picture of biological identifiers, as the image is immediately encoded into binary and the photograph destroyed. Thus making it an unusable junk.

Binary form (0110100001101001)

The device can also act as an attendance monitor. This is unsuitable for election purposes. The privacy of voters would not be secured thus affecting the freedom to choose. The information would no longer be private and confidential. The undesirable ramifications that comes with biometric identification includes the threats to privacy via surveillance. Information, such as your date of birth, address, political history, etc. can be collected in the database and linked to your identifiers. Its possible for these information to be used to profile, track, and exclude individuals or groups based on their identifiers.

Since its just a matter of time before the cabinet is dissolved, there would not be enough time to explain how the system works to every eligible voters. People from rural areas and those from gen x which is less tech savvy might be left in the dark.

Biometric system is costly. 

 

Another possible problem might arose from the usage of biometric system concerns our health. When multiple people touch the same machine, they are exposed to the spread illness and disease.