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details, which involved the electronic conversion of 50 million index cards. This then allowed
the computerisation of the processes of applying for and issuing the document, which today
is complete.
Internationally, the identity document that is used for entering other countries is the passport.
Some countries have made provision for a single identification document; but those all meet
the standards for passports, in order to be recognised in other countries.
In summary, a person who has not been identified by the State does not exist from a legal point
of view. The implementation of substantive public policies, especially of a social nature, require
correct identification of individuals for their implementation. And in the second decade of the
21st century, that is not possible without the help of technology, specifically, existing biometric
technology which meets accepted international standards.
Biometrics and Identification
The process of identification of a person is based on a comparison of characteristics with data.
Today there is technology that allows this comparison of data to be automated, speeding up
the processes of issuing documentation and verifying identity.
Even for paper-based documentation – in other words, for face-to-face identification –
automated biometric technology has been incorporated which, since it observes international
standards, facilitates the traceability of data.
Biometric technology allows identification based on an individual’s physical characteristics:
DNA, fingerprints, facial features or the characteristics of the iris, details which are personal and
unique to a particular individual.
Today there is biometric technology in multiple public and private applications. For example
in social networks, the application automatically assigns a name to a person when his or her
photo is uploaded which, depending on the facial recognition information available, the system
interprets as correct. Some have questioned this application, since it identifies individuals
without authorisation and with a high degree of error, and could affect the right to privacy.
In the public realm, biometry is used both for the identification of individuals and for the
authentication of identity in computerised systems, the strengthening of public security at airports
and in cities, and the restriction of access to secure sites (both in the physical sense – buildings
– and the virtual – computer systems and applications). Recognition is conducted using physical
characteristics (fingerprints, features of the face or hand, and iris patterns) or learned or acquired
behavioural characteristics (voice patterns, handwriting and keystroke patterns).
There are various devices for housing biometric technology and identifying individuals. These
devices rely on various factors, depending on the level of security the application requires.
Typically, authentication factors will be something we know (a password, for example),
something we have (such as a smart card) and something we are (in other words, some biometric
detail). The use of the three factors for authentication makes the process secure.
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