MULTI-MODAL

BIOMETRICS

UNIT-7
 INTRODUCTION
• Biometric identification systems which use a single biometric trait of the individual for identification
and verification are called unimodal systems.
• Biometric identification systems which use or are capable of using a combination of two or more
biometric modalities to identify an individual are called multimodal biometric systems.
• The most important reason behind using multimodal biometric systems is to improve the recognition
rate.
• When adopting biometric technology for identification, the most important pre-deployment question
is whether to choose a unimodal or multimodal biometric system.
• The limitations of Unimodal biometric systems and how these limitations are overcome by the
use of multimodal biometric systems.
 LIMITATIONS OF UNIMODAL SYSTEM
• Susceptibility of the biometric sensor to noisy or bad data:
• The captured biometric trait might be distorted due to imperfect acquisition conditions. This limitation can be seen in
applications which use facial recognition. The quality of the captured facial images might get affected by illumination
conditions and facial expressions.
• Another example could be in fingerprint recognition where a scanner is unable to read dirty fingerprints clearly and
leads to false database matches. An enrolled user might be incorrectly rejected whereas an impostor might be falsely
accepted.
• Fingerprint images might not be properly captured for the elderly and young children because of faded fingerprints or
underdeveloped fingerprint ridges. Though the biometric traits are expected to exist among every individual in a given
population, there could be some exceptions where an individual is unable to provide a particular biometric. For example,
iris images might not be acquired if the subject has a pathological eye condition.
• Within a large population, unimodal biometrics is prone to inter-class similarities. Facial recognition may not work
correctly for identical twins as the camera might not be able to distinguish between the two subjects leading to
inaccurate matching
• Unimodal biometric systems are quite vulnerable to spoof attacks where the data can be imitated or forged. For
example, fingerprint recognition systems can be easily spoofed using rubber fingerprints.
ADVANTAGES OF MULTI-MODAL SYSTEM
Advantages and Disadvantages of Multi-
Modal System
 ETHICAL ISSUES
• However, there are serious ethical issues in the use of biometric technology.
• The main issues concern the personal privacy, the conflict with one’s beliefs and values and the
collection, protection and use of personal biometric data.
• The civil liberty organisations argue that the technology undermines the human rights for privacy and
anonymity. It is intrusive and has the capability to make serious impact on personal freedom and
democratic rights.
• The technology is prone to failure and is not fake proof as it can be spoofed. But due to many issues
and threats around the world, e.G. Threat of terrorism, identity theft and fraud, security, illegal
immigration, benefit fraud and crime prevention and detection issues, it has become important to
have the capability to freeze someone identity for later identification and verification.
• At the same time since 9/11 the biometric technology has advanced tremendously. The hardware has
improved in design and accuracy, the prices have come down and, therefore, biometrics has firmed its
place in the security world. The public concern regarding the issues mentioned above cannot be
ignored.
• There is a compelling need to find “workable and deployable” solutions to these issues. The academics
have a very important role to play through consultations, workshops and student education.
What Legal Issues are Related to the Use of Biometrics?

• The biggest concern regarding the use of Biometrics is the issue of violation of privacy. 
• People who are subjected to a biometrics scan or reading generally feel that such procedures
are physically invasive, especially if they involve a reading of body parts.
• Another concern is the issue of information security. Biometric readings are often stored in a
database that can be accessed by the employer or government agency. Questions have been
raised regarding the use of information obtained through biometric systems. Such information
may include very private information such as medical histories and bank accounts. 
• If a legal issue has been raised regarding biometrics, it will usually be resolved using a
traditional balancing test to determine privacy rights. 
• A court will weigh the person’s expectation of privacy versus the public need to obtain such
information. 
• For example a court might analyze person’s handwriting for national security reasons. 
• Since the public concern for national security is very great, a judge might conclude that it is
necessary to review the handwriting in order to preserve national security.
Design Issues with Multimodal Biometric Systems

You need to consider a number of factors while designing a multimodal biometric

system −

•Level of security you need to bring in.

•The number of users who will use the system.

•Types of biometric traits you need to acquire.

•The number of biometric traits from the users.

•The level at which multiple biometric traits need integration.

•The technique to be adopted to integrate the information.

•The trade-off between development cost versus system performance.