The biometrics discussion

Photo from International-Education-Biometrics.net

In my last post I shared an article about a smartphone that uses biometrics - iris-scanning - instead of a password. The other type of biometric device is fingerprint-scanners, which also claim to be safer than passwords. But how soon can we expect to stop using passwords? And are there any safety problems with biometric devices as well?

An article from the Guardian asks four experts: The Question: when will biometrics take over from passwords?

http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/may/14/iris-scanning-smartphone-fujitsu-ntt-docomo-passwords

The subtitle is: "It seems the perfect solution to all of us weary of passwords, but is it secure? Our expert panel argue the case for and against biometrics".

This was a good topic to introduce to my students, and the article had interesting language features as well.

First I gave the group the information about each member of the "expert panel," so they could consider to what extent their respective views would be valid.

Angela Sasse:
Professor at University Colleage London and Director of the UK Research Institute in Science of Cyber Security.

Ramesh Kesanupalli
Founder of Nok Nok Labs and Vice President of Fido Alliance, an industry body that seeks to standardize authentication  methods beyond passwords.

Dr. Steven Murdoch
Principal research fellow, University College London, and security architect at the Vasco Innovation Centre, Cambridge.

Starbug
Security researcher at Telekom Innovation Laboratories, Berlin. Starbug showed how to hack Apple's fingerprint sensor in 2013.

While all members of the panel agree that biometric devices are part of our future, they disagreed slightly as to how secure they are.

My students first identified the information from the text that pointed out the advantages of biometrics, and the disadvantages. This difference of opinion in the article provides useful language for stating opinion, comparison, and linking vocabulary related to those functions. In this way, this article's language features can be compared to those of the article in my last post.

Examples:

• Employers and service providers have started to realise this and are offering alternatives in the form of sensors and biometrics.
• Fingerprint biometrics have been available on mobile phones for a while, but the addition of Apple's Touch ID marks a point of no return in the second coming of biometrics.
• While some security experts may be concerned about the use of fingerprints on their own, for customers it is a welcome escape from the struggle with passwords ...
• However, for a considerable amount of time, passwords will still be there as a recovery process.
• You will see Fido not only addressing the business pain, but also addressing the user pain.
• There will not be any server-side global attacks possible if you deploy Fido.
• There is no single type of authenticating solution that is going to be number one in the market.
• Biometrics shows promise, but only as part of an authentication solution which optimises accuracy, privacy and convenience.
• And for most users it's better to use those features than weak or no passwords.
• But you have to keep in mind that biometric systems are not that much more secure than long passwords and if your biometric feature is stolen or lost you can't get a new one.

The language we focused on in class has helped to form a basis for phrases students are "collecting" for persuasive speeches and essays. In addition, the article itself provided a basis for an interesting discussion.

Iris-scanning smartphone

There are many problems with using passwords - as many of us know - and since they are required for so many devices and for access to various sites, there is a lot of information about how passwords can be made not only safer, but easier.

Recent developments that my students have shown an interest in include different kinds of biometric devices being offered on smartphones. Fingerprint scanning has been available for a while, but now a new smartphone offers iris-recognition technology.

The article I used for this topic comes from the Guardian website, and offers not only a clear explanation of the advantages of this security device, but also interesting language work.

The article: Iris-scanning smartphone puts paid to passwords in blink of an eye

http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/may/14/iris-scanning-smartphone-fujitsu-ntt-docomo-passwords

The article focuses on a new smartphone made by Fujitsu and sold by the Japanese company NTT Docomo. It says the phone "uses an infrared LED and a special camera to snap a picture of the iris of a person's eye."

One of the first language features we discussed was expressions used - the first two are in the title:

• to put paid to
• in the blink of an eye
• to lead the charge
• wear and tear

There are, of course, many phrases using such devices as comparatives, superlatives, etc. to indicate the advantages of this new technology. For example:

• Unlike fingerprints, the iris is protected and does not suffer from wear and tear,
• ... it's shape is easier to predict and model than that of a face
• ... it is flatter and only changes in ...
• (passwords are) ...too easy to break by hackers and too hard for users to remember...
• Iris-recognition systems promise to be harder to fool and easier to use ...
• ... new scanner will be faster and more accurate than face recognition ...
• ... the scanner's accuracy would improve and therefore speed up ...

In describing the advantages of this scanner, the linking vocabulary is very useful. Examples:

• unlike
• while
• like
• however
• leading to
• for instance
• but
• such as
• also
• more than
• in the same way
• therefore
• not the only

There are many verb+preposition collocations that students should be made aware of:

• made by
• lead towards
• look at
• sold by
• set after
• suffer from
• controlled by
• fooled by
• unique to
• lead to
• introduction into
• use on
• viable as
• contact with
• phase out by
• work at (a distance of)
• operate at (a distance)
• speed up
• file (patents) for

Finally, there are examples of both restrictive and non-restrictive clauses, which can help to illustrate the difference between the two types of relative clauses:

• Iris-scanning technology promises to kill the password with the launch of a new smartphone that looks into users' eyes to unlock it.
• The phone recognises the hidden unique pattern of the iris, which is set after about the age of two and is difficult to forge.
• Multiple biometric technologies (...) are vying to replace the username and password system that has proved to be too easy to break by hackers and too hard for users to remember consistently...
• But it was their introduction into portable devices such as smartphones and improvements in reliability and speed of recognition that made them viable as password replacement systems.
• Fujitsu claims its new scanner will be faster and more accurate than face recognition, which is a common feature in Android devices...

After discussing this article, students talked about whether biometrics in general (both iris-scanners and fingerprint-scanners) will soon replace passwords. We next looked at an article in which four experts in the area discuss this topic. I will focus on that article in my next post.

Practicing comparisons with smart watch reviews

In my post of April 12th, I wrote about a debate my students had about the impact the smart watch will have on our lives in comparison to smart phones. Since my telecommunications students liked focusing on this particular topic, I decided to use texts about smart watches for some language work.

My part-time engineering students (who are working full time) often have to give business presentations in which they have to describe alternative product choices and compare advantages and disadvantages of those products. I wanted to give my students more practice in using language for these functions in English. I have found that reviews of smart watches are very useful for this. There is a lot of disagreement about which smart watch is best, and a lot of information available about their respective features.

As an example of a text that provides useful language, I will refer to the Smart Watch Review: Reviews and Comparisons that's on the website "Top Ten Reviews."

The link: http://smart-watch-review.toptenreviews.com/

The page also has bar graph comparisons of the overall rating, and a chart comparing features of design. These visuals provide very good practice in language describing information in graphs – which students also need when given business presentations.

Examples of linking words/phrases that provide comparison:

• Smartphones, on the other hand, should be used to crank out long emails, read articles or watch videos on the mobile web. 
• Instead, they act as an extension, offering you quick snippets of information. 
• They not only tell time, they also make a statement. 
• The perfect smartwatch shouldn't just look good, it needs to fit your wrist well and be comfortable, too. 
• Nearly every smartwatch tracks your steps, but not all have heart rate sensors. Also, most do not have a built-in GPS chip, so if you want to map out runs, you still need to run with your phone. 
• Some smartwatches even have built-in storage for music. 
• Most run Google's Android Wear software, but others have their own operating system. 
• For instance, an Android Wear smartwatch will not work with an Apple iPhone, and vice versa, the Apple Watch won't work with an Android device. 
• Some watches have an AMOLED (active-matrix organic light-emitting diode) display while others have a full analog face with a smaller screen … 
• Even screen shapes vary; some are round while others are square. 
• Since you will be wearing your watch practically every day, you want one that suits your style. 
• You can instantly see your pace and quickly switch songs (even though your phone is in your pocket) without having to stop. 
• Three top smartwatches … stood out in comparison to other smartwatches, mostly due to their design, battery life and wide range of features.

Examples of comparatives and superlatives:

• The best smartwatches reduce the number of times you remove your smartphone … 
• The obvious goal of smartwatches is helping to make your day easier, … 
• However, the biggest complaint with smartwatches is the battery life. 
• It's even more irritating when you check the time only to be greeted with a black screen. 
• The best smartwatches should last an entire day – minimum. 
• … nor was the methodology provided to any of the manufacturers in more detail than is available through reading our reviews. 
• A good smartwatch makes a person's day easier.

There are many websites, articles and graphics available on the internet that compare not only smart watches, but many other devices as well. So other choices of topic can be made for students in different areas of engineering.