One User, Many Hats; and Sometimes, No Hat (Transcript of Discussion)

Abstract

One of the problems with biometrics is that the incentives are all wrong. In the case of most biometric identity systems the benefit is for the operator of the system, who usually wants to prevent transfer of usability of credentials, not for the user of the system herself. When I give my biometric identity to the passport agency this is for the benefit of the passport system, not for my system. In fact it degrades my privacy, because now the passport authorities have enough information to fake my biometrics in other applications. This might be an instance in which the semantics of the trust properties of the application are the problem.