[. . . ] For instance, the sensor can't match the fingerprint of a deceased person. In contrast to optical sensors with panels, capacitive sensors--also called "solid state"--are difficult to imitate. Solid state technology enables sensing the skin capacity variation of a finger. [. . . ] For example, if you draw a line using ink on your fingertip, the image in solid state won't show the line. Solid state technology is based on sensing the finger--not looking at it the way optical detection does. The silicon fingerprint sensor integrated into the LaCie SAFE drive produces a full, clean image around all portions of the finger that come in contact with the sensor. Optical solutions can produce edges of the image that are not crisp because sensors only focus on a small area. With our fingerprint sensor, the risk of non-matching between the fingerprint and the stored biometric data are very low thanks to this superior image quality. It is extremely hard for end-users to copy a fingerprint because the finger movement immediately eliminates any possible traces. Many low-cost optical solutions can be compromised by a simple photocopy of a fingerprint. Some low-cost optical solutions also have problems with latent fingerprints being left on the sensor by grimy hands. By integrating all fingerprint-matching technology into the hardware, the LaCie SAFE Hard Drive is a fully self-contained drive that does not have to rely on the host computer to perform fingerprint matching. Utilizing biometrics for personal authentication is becoming more convenient than other current methods (such as passwords or smart cards). The trend is toward centralizing identity management--employing a combination of both physical and logical access parameters for gaining access to different types of resources. Many companies are now looking for this sort of identity management solution, which requires the use of biometrics. As the level of security breaches and transaction frauds increases, the need for highly secure identification and personal verification technologies is becoming apparent. The need for biometrics can be found in federal, state and local governments, in the military, and in commercial applications. Enterprise-wide network security infrastructures, government IDs, secure electronic banking, investing and other financial transactions, retail sales, law enforcement, health and social services are already benefiting from this technology. Is biological trait identification safe and reliable? The security field uses three different types of authentication: something you know (a password, PIN), something you have (a card key, smart card) or something you are (a biometric trait). Of these, biometric trait identification is the most secure and convenient authentication tool. It cannot be borrowed, stolen or forgotten, and forging one is practically impossible. Each human has his/her own biological identity that is different from anyone else's, which explains the difficulty in corrupting this kind of data. [. . . ] Each human has his/her own biological identity that is different from anyone else's, which explains the difficulty in corrupting this kind of data. To show how reliable biometrics is, many governments are choosing to use fingerprint and face digitalization on identity papers and visas to better identify people. Using biometric identification avoids the risks of forgotten passwords or data access control corruption. Sources: http://www. biometrics. org/html/introduction. html http://csrc. nist. gov/cryptval/des/tripledesval. html Established in the United States, Europe and Asia, LaCie is the world's leading producer of PC and Macintosh compatible storage peripherals. [. . . ]