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ceptions of biometrics regardless of the applica-
tion area or device type, hence providing insight
into possible barriers of adoption of biometric
technologies for security purposes. By focusing
on factors that influence an individual's intention
to use biometric technologies, we can explore the
possible modes of adoption that may smooth the
transition to new forms of security and authenti-
cation technologies. The literature suggests that
barriers to adoption of biometric devices can be
grouped into the following categories: physical
invasiveness, information invasiveness, ease of
use, privacy, and the perceived level of benefit
from the device (Deane, Barrelle, Henderson, &
Mahar, 1995; Liu & Silverman, 2001; Woodward,
1997). We posit that an individual's need for
privacy and security, along with the perceived
invasiveness of the device and the original TAM
constructs of perceived usefulness and ease of
use, will impact the intention to use biometric
devices. This model is generalizable to a wider
range of security/privacy technologies which will
aid in our understanding of barriers to adoption
to these technologies so that appropriate policies
and marketing strategies may be designed to aid
in their implementation and use.
In the following section, the relevant literature
is presented, along with the theoretical founda-
tion for the proposed constructs. The third sec-
tion discusses the methodology used to test the
proposed model, and the fourth section presents
the findings. The fifth section provides a discus-
sion of the results, as well as the limitations and
directions for future research, and the last section
provides conclusions.
especially with regard to the study of unique
biological characteristics of humans” (Hopkins,
1999, p. 337). More generally, a biometric system
can be referred to as “a pattern recognition system
that makes a personal identification by establish-
ing the authenticity of a specific physiological or
behavioral characteristic possessed by the user”
(Jain, Hong, & Pankanti, 2000, p.92). Interest in
using biometrics is rising, and adoption of these
technologies is penetrating corporations and
governments. The International Biometric Group
predicts the market for biometrics to rise from
$1538 million in 2005 to $5749 million by 2010
(BTT, 2006). These numbers indicate that biomet-
ric devices will emerge as an important security
tool over the next several years. Biometric devices
fall into two main categories: physiological, which
includes fingerprint, retinal, hand geometry, and
facial scanners, and behavioral such as signature
biometrics.
There are several areas of usage for biometric
devices. These application areas can be loosely
grouped into four categories: physical access,
virtual access, e-commerce, and covert surveil-
lance (Liu & Silverman, 2001). Applications in
the physical access category include any situation
where restricted availability of a facility or mode
of transportation is necessary (Beiser, 1999; BTT,
2001; Liu & Silverman, 2001; McMillian, 2002;
Wayman, 2000; Woodward, 1997). Physical ac-
cess control holds the major share of the biometrics
market, accounting for approximately 50% of the
biometrics market (Norton, 2002).
Security devices used for this category have
received increased scrutiny as the importance of
authenticating individuals for security purposes
grows, yet often conflicts with personal privacy is-
sues. The trade-off between maintaining a desired
level of security while maintaining a sufficient
level of privacy for an individual has received a
new level of importance. Privacy advocates often
argue that new security infrastructures often en-
croach upon an individual's privacy by providing
means by which characteristics and movements
literature review and
researCh motivation
biometrics
Biometrics can be defined as “the application of
computational methods to biological features,
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