Anonymizing Biometric Data for Security Systems
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Solution Overview
Problem
Biometric data, once stolen, cannot be easily changed, leading to identity theft issues and privacy concerns, which complicates its use in security systems, especially with stringent laws regulating personally identifiable information (PII).
Innovation Solution
A method to create a weakened biometric representation of an individual's biometric signal that can identify multiple individuals, allowing for anonymization and efficient matching within a security system, reducing the risk of identity theft and compliance with privacy laws.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If detailed biometric data is stored for accurate identification, then identification accuracy is improved, but privacy protection and security against identity theft deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential identification features from detailed biometric data to create templates that retain sufficient information for accurate matching while removing personally identifiable information. This extraction process allows the system to maintain identification accuracy while reducing privacy risks by storing only the minimum necessary data.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates anonymized copies of biometric data in the form of templates that can be stored and processed without containing the original detailed biometric information. These templates serve as functional equivalents for identification purposes while being inherently more secure and privacy-preserving than storing original biometric data.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If anonymized biometric templates are used to protect privacy, then privacy protection is improved, but matching accuracy and false positive rates worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms biometric data by changing its parameters and representation format to create templates with different mathematical properties. This transformation maintains the essential identification characteristics while altering the data structure to provide privacy protection, achieving both goals simultaneously through parameter transformation.
3Reliability
If complete biometric data is stored, then authentication reliability is improved, but storage requirements and processing complexity worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential identification features from complete biometric data to create compact templates. This extraction reduces storage requirements significantly while maintaining authentication reliability by preserving the critical features necessary for accurate matching and identification.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments biometric data into essential identification features and non-essential information, storing only the essential features in template form. This segmentation allows the system to maintain authentication reliability while reducing storage requirements by eliminating redundant and non-critical data elements.
Data Source
AI summary
An anonymized biometric representation of a target individual is used in a computer based security system. A detailed input biometric signal associated with a target individual is obtained. A weakened biometric representation of the detailed biometric signal is constructed such that the weakened biometric representation is designed to identify a plurality of individuals including the target individual. The target individual is enrolled in a data store associated with the computer based security system wherein the weakened biometric representation is included in a record for the target individual. In another aspect of the invention, a detailed input biometric signal from a screening candidate individual is obtained. The detailed biometric signal of the screening candidate is matched against the weakened biometric representation included in the record for the target individual.