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Microsoft will use biometric identifiers
The ultimate in convenience and security OR the ultimate in control and in
privacy invasion?
http://www.msnbc.com/news/402255.asp?cp1=1
Microsoft to use `biometric' tools for Windows
By Jathon Sapsford
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
May 2 - Microsoft Corp. has agreed to include in future versions of
its Windows operating system a type of software that uses "biometric"
devices such as fingerprint or eye scanners to boost online security.
MICROSOFT TUESDAY WILL ANNOUNCE it signed a licensing agreement
with closely held I/O Software Inc. of Riverside, Calif., which has a
proven "application programming interface," or API, for biometrics
technology. This essentially is a program that lets fingerprint or eye
scanners communicate with operating systems. (Microsoft is a partner
in MSNBC.)
Some see these scanners, which identify users based on unique
individual characteristics, as eventually enhancing or replacing
computer passwords. A crucial step in this process, say those in the
industry, is the acceptance by both producers and users of an API that
allows easy employment of the devices. The goal is to create a
software infrastructure that would let users simply plug in biometric
devices and start using them to log on.
[...]