Biometric Technology

The History Of Biometric Technology

When we talk about biometric history, we would realize that since time immemorial people always tried their best to use some way or the other so that they could identify one person from another, whether it was through footprints or tattoos or photos. So let’s briefly go through biometric history in the following paragraphs.
The history of biometrics can be traced back to a long, long time before you can really imagine. Just think of China in the 14^th century. Can you imagine it? It wouldn’t be easy so let me help you. The earliest instance where we can say that a trace of biometrics in practice did take place was when the finger printing process was first introduced in China during the 14th century. This was documented by Joao de Barros, who was an explorer as well as a writer. Based on his writing, the world got to know that most of the Chinese merchants did introduce biometrics in a basic form. Aren't you keen to know how? Well, they stamped children’s palm prints as well as their footprints on paper using ink. In this unique way, it became possible for the Chinese to distinguish one young child from another without much difficulty.

Though biometrics is now popularly used throughout the world, it was Alphonse Bertillion, a well read anthropologist who pinpointed that identifying convicted criminals was one of the main uses of biometrics even back then. This means that the issue of identifying offenders became a matter of preserving the country’s law and order so that criminals who gave different aliases couldn’t go off scot free! Bertillion was the genius who reasoned out that names can be easily changed, even hairstyles and facial appearance can be easily changed but the human body had several aspects that couldn’t be changed no matter what.

This awareness triggered his interest to assess those parts of a person’s body, which could never be subject to any kind of change such as size of the skull and so on. Although this approach and awareness was basic in the context of its implementation, it brought forth a practice of measuring a person’s unalterable body parts whenever a person got arrested.

What followed was measurements of criminals were thus recorded and maintained on a card which was later filed with clusters of other groups to compare till the time a new criminal entered again.

Being a huge breakthrough, the history of biometrics records this as a great momentum that was adopted as a way of tracking by police stations across the world, despite drawbacks.

In big cities, for example, you can imagine the kind of painstaking effort that must have gone into the process because of such extensive card databases. Just searching for a specific card could take several days which ultimately could even be considered as waste of time and energy.

However, the history of biometrics is interesting and you’ve covered the best intervals!