The Life and Limb Problem

I had earlier written about the three problems with using biometrics as authenticators:

• The Technology Problem
• The Social Acceptability Problem
• The Clonability Problem

I'm adding one more:

• The Life and Limb Problem

This problem with biometrics became clear to me with a report by Jonathan Kent, Malaysia car thieves steal finger, on the BBC News. The problem with some (not all) biometric metrics is that we are measuring some aspect of a body part that is not (painlessly) detachable from the rest of the body. When identity theft is to be commited on systems with biometric locks, physical violence is a very real and possibly easiest option for the criminals.