A Review of Voice-Base Person Identification: State-of-the-Art

Automated person identification and authentication systems are useful for national security, integrity of electoral processes, prevention of cybercrimes and many access control applications. This is a critical component of information and communication technology which is central to national development. The use of biometrics systems in identification is fast replacing traditional methods such as use of names, personal identification numbers codes, password, etc., since nature bestow individuals with distinct personal imprints and signatures. Different measures have been put in place for person identification, ranging from face, to fingerprint and so on. This paper highlights the key approaches and schemes developed in the last five decades for voice-based person identification systems. Voice-base recognition system has gained interest due to its non-intrusive technique of data acquisition and its increasing method of continually studying and adapting to the person’s changes. Information on the benefits and challenges of various biometric systems are also presented in this paper. The present and prominent voice-based recognition methods are discussed. It was observed that these systems application areas have covered intelligent monitoring, surveillance, population management, election forensics, immigration and border control

A False Sense of Privacy: Towards a Reliable Evaluation Methodology for the Anonymization of Biometric Data

Biometric data contains distinctive human traits such as facial features or gait patterns. The use of biometric data permits an individuation so exact that the data is utilized effectively in identification and authentication systems. But for this same reason, privacy protections become indispensably necessary. Privacy protection is extensively afforded by the technique of anonymization. Anonymization techniques protect sensitive personal data from biometrics by obfuscating or removing information that allows linking records to the generating individuals, to achieve high levels of anonymity. However, our understanding and possibility to develop effective anonymization relies, in equal parts, on the effectiveness of the methods employed to evaluate anonymization performance. In this paper, we assess the state-of-the-art methods used to evaluate the performance of anonymization techniques for facial images and for gait patterns. We demonstrate that the state-of-the-art evaluation methods have serious and frequent shortcomings. In particular, we find that the underlying assumptions of the state-of-the-art are quite unwarranted. State-of-the-art methods generally assume a difficult recognition scenario and thus a weak adversary. However, that assumption causes state-of-the-art evaluations to grossly overestimate the performance of the anonymization. Therefore, we propose a strong adversary which is aware of the anonymization in place. This adversary model implements an appropriate measure of anonymization performance. We improve the selection process for the evaluation dataset, and we reduce the numbers of identities contained in the dataset while ensuring that these identities remain easily distinguishable from one another. Our novel evaluation methodology surpasses the state-of-the-art because we measure worst-case performance and so deliver a highly reliable evaluation of biometric anonymization techniques

Naval Reserve support to information Operations Warfighting

Since the mid-1990s, the Fleet Information Warfare Center (FIWC) has led the Navy's Information Operations (IO) support to the Fleet. Within the FIWC manning structure, there are in total 36 officer and 84 enlisted Naval Reserve billets that are manned to approximately 75 percent and located in Norfolk and San Diego Naval Reserve Centers. These Naval Reserve Force personnel could provide support to FIWC far and above what they are now contributing specifically in the areas of Computer Network Operations, Psychological Operations, Military Deception and Civil Affairs. Historically personnel conducting IO were primarily reservists and civilians in uniform with regular military officers being by far the minority. The Naval Reserve Force has the personnel to provide skilled IO operators but the lack of an effective manning document and training plans is hindering their opportunity to enhance FIWC's capabilities in lull spectrum IO. This research investigates the skill requirements of personnel in IO to verify that the Naval Reserve Force has the talent base for IO support and the feasibility of their expanded use in IO.http://archive.org/details/navalreservesupp109451098

An investigation of electronic Protected Health Information (e-PHI) privacy policy legislation in California for seniors using in-home health monitoring systems

This study examined privacy legislation in California to identify those electronic Protected Health Information (e-PHI) privacy policies that are suited to seniors using in-home health monitoring systems. Personal freedom and independence are essential to a person\u27s physical and mental health, and mobile technology applications provide a convenient and economical method for monitoring personal health. Many of these apps are written by third parties, however, which poses serious risks to patient privacy. Current federal regulations only cover applications and systems developed for use by covered entities and their business partners. As a result, the responsibility for protecting the privacy of the individual using health monitoring apps obtained from the open market falls squarely on the states. The goal of this study was to conduct an exploratory study of existing legislation to learn what was being done at the legislative level to protect the security and privacy of users using in-home mobile health monitoring systems. Specifically, those developed and maintained by organizations or individuals not classified as covered entities under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA). The researcher chose California due to its reputation for groundbreaking privacy laws and high population of seniors. The researcher conducted a content analysis of California state legislation, federal and industry best practices, and extant literature to identify current and proposed legislation regarding the protection of e-PHI data of those using in-home health monitoring systems. The results revealed that in-home health monitoring systems show promise, but they are not without risk. The use of smartphones, home networks, and downloadable apps puts patient privacy at risk, and combining systems that were not initially intended to function together carries additional concerns. Factors such as different privacy-protection profiles, opt-in/opt-out defaults, and privacy policies that are difficult to read or are not adhered to by the application also put user data at risk. While this examination showed that there is legislative support governing the development of the technology of individual components of the in-home health monitoring systems, it appears that the in-home health monitoring system as a whole is an immature technology and not in wide enough use to warrant legislative attention. In addition – unlike the challenges posed by the development and maintenance of the technology of in-home health monitoring systems – there is ample legislation to protect user privacy in mobile in-home health monitoring systems developed and maintained by those not classified as covered entities under HIPAA. Indeed, the volume of privacy law covering the individual components of the system is sufficient to ensure that the privacy of the system as a whole would not be compromised if deployed as suggested in this study. Furthermore, the legislation evaluated over the course of this study demonstrated consistent balance between technical, theoretical, and legal stakeholders. This study contributes to the body of knowledge in this area by conducting an in-depth review of current and proposed legislation in the state of California for the past five years. The results will help provide future direction for researchers and developers as they struggle to meet the current and future needs of patients using this technology as it matures. There are practical applications for this study as well. The seven themes identified during this study can serve as a valuable starting point for state legislators to evaluate existing and proposed legislation within the context of medical data to identify the need for legislation to assist in protecting user data against fraud, identity theft, and other damaging consequences that occur because of a data breach

COVID-19 and Digital Contact Tracing: Regulating the Future of Public Health Surveillance

Digital surveillance tools are at the forefront of potential public health response strategies for the COVID-19 pandemic. The United States is in desperate need of a national-level contact tracing and exposure notification strategy to supplement traditional public health response efforts. This article addresses data privacy and security concerns, as well as epidemiological considerations, when developing digital contact tracing and exposure notification tools. It is both feasible and prudent that the United States establish a federal network for public health surveillance aided by digital tools, especially considering that waves of COVID-19 are expected to continue well into 2021 and while the threat of other emerging infectious diseases persists

Applying multimodal biometrics in identity determing systems

U svetu čije su odrednice globalna ekonomija, Internet, česta i snažna migracija ljudi, regionalna politička nestabilnost i ukorenjen organizovan kriminal, pitanje svakodnevnog utvrđivanja identiteta ljudi u navedenim kontekstima je od ključnog značaja za bezbednost i efikasno funkcionisanje svakog društva. U važnim društvenim aktivnostima, na primer na polju bezbednosti, zdravstva ili finansija, tačnost zaključaka nekih unimodalnih biometrijskih sistema postaje problematična, jer pojedinačni propusti mogu da izazovu nesagledivu štetu pojedincu ili zajednici. Smanjenje neizvesnosti se traži u istovremenom kombinovanju više biometrijskih modaliteta, odnosno u multimodalnoj biometriji. Izvedena istraživanja su imala za cilj da doprinesu boljem sagledavanju mogućnosti i ograničenja primene multimodalnih biometrijskih sistema u postupcima identifikacije lica, kao neophodnog preduslova za uspostavljanje sistema menadžmenta identitetom. Sprovedeno je analitičko i eksperimentalno istraživanje u naučnom, organizacionom, tehničkom, tehnološkom, pravnom i finansijskom domenu, kako bi se izveli odgovarajući konkretni zaključci, zapažanja i preporuke potrebni za procenu mogućnosti primene multimodalnih biometrijskih sistema u sistemima identifikacije. Studija slučaja je korišćena kao najprikladniji metodološki okvir za proveru postavljenih hipoteza u oblasti primene multimodalne biometrije u procesu utvrđivanja identiteta. U studiji slučaja su istraživane mogućnosti i ograničenja rada biometrijskog sistema sa dva često korišćena biometrijska modaliteta, otiskom prsta i slikom lica. Nakon tako postavljenog problema, u radu je izložena i potom praktično primenjena metodologija za rešavanja problema koji se javljaju u sistemima multimodalne biometrije. Izložene su specifičnosti dve korišćene biometrijske baze podataka. Opisan je i eksperimentalan, ispitni multimodalni sistem za utvrđivanje identiteta sa datom specifikacijom arhitekture, odabranim režimima rada, kao i navođenjem postupka ispitivanja performansi ovog sistema. Završni deo rada je posvećen analizi i interpretaciji dobijenih rezultata radi određivanja, kako performansi rada multimodalnog biometrijskog sistema, tako i oceni ispunjenja polaznih hipoteza. Rezultati istraživanja potvrdili su polaznu hipotezu da multimodalna biometrija podiže tačnosti postupka utvrđivanja identiteta, kao i da takvi sistemi poseduju inherentnu redudantnost koja im omogućava rad sa degradiranim performansa u slučaju nemogućnosti zahvatanja ili smeštaja nekog biometrijskog podataka. Posebno treba istaći nalaz da primena biometrije u nekim segmentima sistema bezbednosti dovodi do kontraproduktivnih efekata u drugim segmentima ovog sistema! Naime, širenje primene biometrije ugrožava normalan rad sistema za zaštitu svedoka, pa je potvrđena posebna hipoteza da nalaženje rešenja za ovaj problem treba tražiti u širem prostoru nego što je to samo prostor biometrije. U radu je predložen mogući sklop mera kao prostor rešenja.In a world defined by Global economy, the Internet, mass migration, regional political instability and deeply rooted organized crime, the question of determining and verifying identities of individuals on a daily basis is of utmost significance for the security and efficient functioning of all social groups. The use of a single mode method for verifying identities has become an issue with potential for damaging consequences for individuals and organizations. This is especially true in highly sensitive fields such as banking, national security and the health sector. With the aim of minimizing risk and uncertainty, multiple identification metrics are being combined in multimodal systems. Research has been carried out with the aim of exploring the possibilities and limiting factors of applying multimodal biometric systems to the process of identifying persons, as a prerequisite for implementing an identity management system. Experimental and analytical research has been performed within the scientific, logistical, technical and technological, legal and financial domains in order to reach the appropriate, concrete conclusions, observations and recommendations required to assess the feasibility of using multimodal biometric systems, as part of an identification management system . A case study approach was used as the most suitable methodology framework for the analysis and verification of the above described hypothesis of applying multimodal biometric systems as a means of determining people’s identities. In the case studies expl ore the capabilities and limiting factors of a multimodal system that uses two popular biometric identifiers, the fingerprint, and the facial image. With the challenge set, this paper presents a subsequently applied methodology for overcoming the challenge s that occur in the use of multimodal biometric systems. Presented herein are the specific features and characteristics of two biometric databases. Also described is the architecture of the experimental multimodal biometric system, the chosen business processes as well as the performance metrics used on the described system. The final sections of this paper presents the analysis and interpretation of the obtained performance results and describe the level of fulfillment of the afore set hypothesis. The results obtained confirm the initial hypothesis that a multimodal biometric identification system increases the level of accuracy in determining a person’s identity. In addition the results show that such systems possess an inherent redundancy making them more robust and able to work with degraded biometric specimens or lack of specimen whereby the given specimen could not be obtained or appropriately stored. It is important to emphasize that applying biometric identity measures in certain segments of a security system has counterproductive effects on other parts of the overall security system. Namely, the use of such systems has a negative impact on the normal operations and functions of the witness protection process. As such we can confirm the hypothesis that the solution for the outlined problem must be sought across a wider range of fields, beyond biometric identification