Biometric Systems in the Czech Republic: Friends or foes?
Kateřina Sulovská · IEEE Consumer Electronics Magazine · 2014
Automated biometric recognition (br) has a wide use in praxis. The number of companies supplying the market with complex solutions, as well as the range of uses and applications, rises continually. These systems have become more widely deployed since the events of 9/11 to meet higher safety requirements, particularly at airports and in government facilities. More recently, we have seen the adoption of biometric technology in handheld consumer devices such as the Apple iPhone. But the increased use of biometrics leads to open questions on privacy and basic human rights. In turn, this requires a response from the state in terms of legislation to regulate the use of biometrics. Each state has adopted its own set of national regulations that must be adjusted to the regulations of international communities (in our case, the European Union) but should also address the concerns of national and local populations. This article deals with the attitudes and thoughts of the inhabitants of the Czech Republic, more specifically, the Zl?n region and the regional capital Zl?n. These data are very useful for the manufacturers of systems and appliances incorporating biometric technology to understand and adapt their systems to meet the needs and expectations of their users and customers. It is also useful for researchers to better understand these new technologies and, more specifically, the knowledge and attitude of the average citizen toward them. The results of this study clearly show some of the challenges in gaining acceptance of these technologies by the everyday consumer. They also show that, while the citizens of the Czech Republic are protected against the misuse of biometric data by law, most people do not feel comfortable with or trust the use of such systems.