Biometric borders and counterterrorism
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Authors
Moore, Todd M.
Subjects
Advisors
Rasmussem, Maria
Date of Issue
2010-12
Date
Publisher
Monterey, California. Naval Postgraduate School
Language
Abstract
This thesis investigates the ties between biometrics and state security by analyzing biometric identification and screening programs, their structural elements, and ultimately their effectiveness. Although biometric identification is rapidly becoming an international norm, quantitative assessments of biometric identification programs within the larger context of state and international security are non-existent. This thesis discusses the idea of identity, defines the identity problem, addresses identity's role in state security, and addresses how biometric identification contributes to this end. Individual characteristics of the most prominently used biometric identifiers are discussed in detail (face, fingerprint, and iris), as well as the overall concept of biometric identification. The ICAO e-Passport program and the U.S. specific screening functions are presented to illuminate how biometric identifiers are used in practical applications. These programs, in turn, serve as the basis for the investigation of the effectiveness of biometric identification as it pertains to state security, focusing first on U.S. immigration and then on the broader context of international terrorism. Biometric identification has been largely credited with producing tangible security gains. This thesis seeks to tie a quantitative measure to that assertion and generate future discussion about the merits of biometrically based identification and screening.
Type
Thesis
Description
Series/Report No
Department
Security Studies
Organization
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Identifiers
NPS Report Number
Sponsors
Funder
Format
xvi, 131 p. ;
Citation
Distribution Statement
Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.
Rights
This publication is a work of the U.S. Government as defined in Title 17, United States Code, Section 101. Copyright protection is not available for this work in the United States.