Back on the cards [ID cards]

The UK's ID card is another piece of good news for the bullish biometrics sector but industry figures are now urging caution. The proposed card's changing shape since 1995 reflects the development of technology in that time: from magnetic stripes to smartcards with digital photos and biometric parameters such as facial recognition, iris scans or fingerprints. The biometrics industry is excited because such schemes could drive biometrics to the mass market. However, there are problems with implementing such schemes which are briefly discussed in this article.