Derwentwater, The Lake District

Today i went to Keswick in the Lake District, close to where i live. It was very cold, the lake was frozen in places and the surrounding hills were covered in snow. Here are some of the photographs i took of Derwentwater.

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After the essay

After researching the topic of identity theft and other related aspects I have leant a lot. However, there are still some questions left unanswered. For example in the journal entitled ‘Can Smart cards reduce payments fraud and identity theft?’ Sullivan does not compare the losses due to payments fraud in the United States to those in the UK. Which could be useful as the Smart card is not commonplace in the US.

As well as this it would also be useful to know how much does biometric technology such as an iris scanners cost? Is the price realistic or could more be done to lower the price of the technology? Also if the technology were cheaper would banks install iris scanners at their cash points? This could be researched using books or online information or perhaps manufacturers could be contacted. Banks could also be asked if they would trial biometric technology. Also how do the public feel about such technology? Would they be happy to use biometrics or would they be concerned about invasion of privacy or ease of use? Does the public even think there is a need for new methods to combat identity theft? Some of these questions could be asked in a public survey. The results of a public survey would be valuable to the development of such technology. Public feedback is important in order to ease any apprehension the public might have with biometric technology. The issues brought to light in the survey could be addressed and then dealt with accordingly.

Essay preparation

In preparation for writing my essay i spent a lot of time reading through my sources, making notes, highlighting and annotating the text whilst referring to the template provided. This was a time consuming process but very useful when it came to writing my essay. Below are some images.

Whilst writing the essay i had a slight disaster as half way through I went to access the electronic book ‘Biometrics’ from the university library website and found the whole source except the front page had vanished. The electronic link was unavailable due to improvements being made to the service. Not even Google books or Google scholar could save the day, as pages 70-210 were unavailable. After over 4 hours spent going back and forth between the library and downloading software to my mac i was able to once again view the source!

The analysis of two sources related to identity theft

The purpose of this journal entitled ‘Can Smart cards reduce payments fraud and identity theft?’ is to discuss the potential of Smart cards, known in the United Kingdom as chip and PIN cards, to reduce identity theft. Initially Sullivan explains how payments fraud can be a result of identity theft. The author then goes on to reveal how Smart cards work and evaluates how they could increase the security of payment authorisation. Strengths and weaknesses of the Smart card are discussed. For example, the incentives for using Smart cards and the challenges that will have to be overcome for Smart cards to become commonplace in the United States. Discussing both sides of the argument suggests the article is unbiased and that the sole aim of the article is to inform the reader. However Sullivan is a senior economist at a bank and could be influenced by what is best in terms of reducing losses from the bank rather than what is most suitable to reduce retail and consumer losses.

Sullivan looks at many issues in depth. To do this obviously a lot of research was necessary. The author drew information from numerous sources as over 40 references are listed.

Sullivan highlights that losses due to identity theft are high and something needs to be done. This is supported by the Federal Trade Commission website where it is estimated that up to 9 million Americans have their identity stolen each year (ftc.gov, no date). One of the main points discussed in this journal is that losses as a result of payments fraud are affecting not only the consumer but also retailers and banks. It is written that ‘Bank losses total about $2.89 billion per year’ (Sullivan, R, 2008 p.37) and ‘Fraud losses for retail merchants total about $15.6 billion per year’ (Sullivan, R, 2008 p.37). Consumers are also affected and ‘In 2007 out-of-pocket losses to consumers from identity theft are estimated at $5.6 billion’. (Sullivan, R, 2008 p.37) Sullivan states that the source of this information was ABA; Fabian; Pulse; “Credit Card Fraud;” Bills; Mott 2007 a; Meacham; Javelin 2008b. In the endnotes Sullivan discusses the reliability of this data, which is useful.

Another point Sullivan makes clear is that Smart cards have both weaknesses and strengths. Sullivan uses the United Kingdom as a case study as ‘the United Kingdom is notable for its commitment to this payment card’. (Sullivan, R, 2008 p.43) When looking at the effect of Smart cards it was found that ‘losses due to lost or stolen cards and card ID theft fell 50.9percent’ (Sullivan, R, 2008 p.46) which is a significant improvement. It is assumed by the author that this improvement is due to the Smart card. Perhaps it is actually due to improved facilities to freeze your account when you realise your bankcard is missing or may be the public are becoming more aware of identity theft. Some of the data is negative, for example ‘at the same time, fraud losses on card-not present transactions increased 92.6 percent (phone, Internet and mail order).’ (Sullivan, R, 2008 p.46) Losses as a result of counterfeit cards also rose.

Overall the author focuses the reader’s attention on the losses to banks, retailers and consumers as a result of identity theft and payments fraud. Sullivan suggests that although the Smart card has made some improvement in the UK there is still much that can be done to increase security and perhaps there is a better answer to identity theft and payments fraud than the Smart card.

The second source, a book entitled ‘Biometrics’ discusses at length the future, types and possibilities of biometrics. Legal concerns as a result of biometric advancements are also discussed. The main purpose for writing this book was to create a detailed one-volume resource to include everything about biometrics. The authors spent time working in biometrics and created this book as they felt biometrics would soon become widespread in our daily lives, due to a rising demand for accurate identification. An online article entitled ‘Iris scan technology yet to take off’ agrees with the authors of ‘Biometrics’ (nationaldefencemagazine.org, 2009). The book ‘Biometrics’ promotes the possibilities of biometrics and educates the reader. Biometrics is discussed in terms of increasing security within financial and business transactions, aiding the identification of recognized criminals and increasing personal security.

The authors mentioned in the bibliography (Woodward J, Orlans, N and Higgins, P) collectively wrote the book but the chapter focussed on in this essay ‘Eye Biometrics: Iris and Retina Scanning’ was written by Orlans. The main source the authors drew upon to write this book was the knowledge of others, such as Smith, R, Raina, K, Valencia, V, Stapleton, J and Libicki, M who are experts on biometrics. Gatune, J, Horn C, Thomas, A and Chavez R also helped with research and analysis. Another source used was The Biometric Consortium; this is the U.S Government’s research in to biometrics. The extensive detail included suggests that this is a factual book based on evidence rather than personal opinions.

A key part of chapter 5, ‘Eye Biometrics: Iris and Retina Scanning’ is the explanation of what iris scanning is. It is explained that ‘the iris is layered beneath the cornea and has patterns that are intricate, richly textured and composed of many furrows and ridges. Iris identification technology is the acquisition, analysis, and comparison of these patterns.’ (Orlans 2003, p.89)

Another important piece of information is learning the positives and negatives of using iris and retina scanning as a method of identification. Iris scanning is suitable for identification because the iris is unique and stable. No two irises are the same, there are even distinct differences between a person’s left and right eye. The author states that ‘all irises are unique with no detectable or known genetic dependencies.’ (Orlans 2003, p.90) Therefore false identification is unlikely. The iris is also stable from childhood until death. The author discusses the negative aspects of the iris as well for example ‘it is not immune to injury and disease’ (Orlans 2003, p.90) such as iris melanoma, which would cause degeneration of the iris, rendering iris scanning impossible. Blind people are also unable to use an iris or retina scanner and contacts for example can cause failed attempts and increase the time a scan takes, transaction time is normally around 4 seconds for trained users.

Orlans also provides evidence to show how biometrics can be useful in daily life for example ‘In 2000, the Charlotte/Douglas International Airport in conjunction with EyeTicket of McLean, Virgina, piloted iris recognition for pilot access and passenger screening.’ (Orlans 2003, p.93) This is supported by an article online, which also informs us of the use of biometrics at airports (airport-technology.com, 2008).

Positives and negatives of biometric technology are discussed however the author seems to have counter arguments to rule out the negatives mentioned. This could be due to the authors work in the field and his belief that there is likely to be an increased use of biometrics in the future. Perhaps the author should consider the costs involved. Also the author assumes biometrics would be readily accepted in society and this may not be the case. Despite this there are some clear arguments supported by well-researched evidence as to how accurate, potentially useful and reliable biometrics is.

In conclusion these sources are very informative and support clear, factual arguments for and against a specific technological advancement. Both of the sources suggest that technological advancements have the potential to change and improve our lives, for example by improving the security of bankcards or at airports. The two sources discuss positives and negatives however the conclusion Sullivan draws seems to be quite negative towards the Smart card. He suggests that although the Smart card has made some improvements in the UK this is not the answer, and that technology has not yet advanced sufficiently. Sullivan seems to think that further development is needed in order to successfully increase security. In comparison Orlans seems very positive about the current biometric technology such as iris scanners. He suggests biometrics can be very useful in daily life and has the potential to substantially increase accurate identification for example. From this it can be suggested that perhaps biometrics or a combination of methods such as chip and PIN used along side iris scanning could be a better way to combat identity theft and improve security than the current systems in place.

Another difference between the sources is that the journal written by Sullivan contains a lot more data than the book entitled ‘Biometrics’. This may be because biometrics is a much more recent technological advancement and so fewer investigations have been carried out. Also because Sullivan is a senior economist facts and figures are likely to be his main concern.

Overall these are both very informative sources although questions are still left unanswered and there is scope for much greater improvement in the future.

Reference list

airport-technology.com (2008) Body check

Available at: http://www.airport-technology.com/features/feature41603/ (accessed on 2/12/09)

ftc.gov About identity theft

Available at: http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/idtheft/consumers/about-identity-theft.html

(accessed on 2/12/09)

nationaldefensemagazine.org (2009) Iris scan technology yet to take off

Available at: http://www.nationaldefensemagazine.org/ARCHIVE/2009/JANUARY/Pages/IrisScanTechnologyYettoTakeOff.aspx

(accessed on 3/12/09)

Sullivan, R. (2008) Can smart cards reduce payments fraud and identity theft?, Business Source Premier, EBSCO Publishing

Woodward, J., Orlans, N., Higgins, P. (2003) Biometrics, Osborne: McGraw-Hill