Vein ID technology coming to an Aussie ATM near you

Identity theft is prevalent in today’s society and new ways to combat and control the risks associated with misidentification are constantly being developed, such as biometric verification. 

Unique open view biometrics, such as fingerprints, iris scanning, voice scanning and facial scans, have proved successful but do have drawbacks, such as being more easily recorded or photographed, and are more susceptible to covert capture and use by fraudsters to spoof control systems.

A new and even more unique biometric verification technology developed by Hitachi is rapidly gaining acceptance as it uses data collected from inside the body so forgery and impersonation are extremely difficult.

Finger vein authentication technology, developed by Hitachi following several years of R&D, uses the vein patterns of one's fingers to verify individual identity.

Called Hitachi Vein ID, the technology is seeing increasing levels of adoption in Japan, US and EU across enterprise and, although in its infancy in Australia, similar growth is expected in this market.

In terms of why and where the technology is gaining adoption, finger vein authentication devices are small and compact, enabling their application in a variety of areas, including ATM and banking, PC login, entry access control, and even automobile access.

For example, the validation device for ATMs is fast becoming a de facto standard, with about 80% of the financial institutions in Japan having adopted finger vein biometrics by the end of March 2007.