Multimedia Forensics: Biometric Systems Modalities Basics

UGC-NET Forensic Science Unit VIII drill on biometric systems, modalities, and foundational concepts. Covers the seven properties of a biometric trait (universality, distinctiveness, permanence, collectability, performance, acceptability, and circumvention resistance), the distinction between physiological biometrics (fingerprint, iris, retina, face, palm vein, hand geometry, DNA, ear shape) and behavioural biometrics (voice, gait, signature, keystroke dynamics, mouse dynamics), and the principles of multimodal biometrics including score-level, feature-level, and decision-level fusion. The historical arc from Alphonse Bertillon's anthropometry to Francis Galton's fingerprint individuality research and Sir Edward Henry's classification system grounds the unit in its forensic heritage. Technical depth covers the Daugman algorithm for iris recognition and iris code generation, eigenfaces and Fisherfaces for face recognition, near-infrared palm vein and finger vein imaging, and the enrollment-verification-identification framework (1:1 match vs 1:N search). The standard ISO/IEC 19794 series for biometric data interchange formats and ISO/IEC 24745 for template protection are addressed.

The Indian context centres on the UIDAI Aadhaar system: the 12-digit Unique Identification Number (UID), the Central Identities Data Repository (CIDR) architecture, biometric enrollment (ten fingerprints, both iris scans, face photograph), and eKYC authentication. The Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Act 2016 provides the statutory framework. The Supreme Court's landmark nine-judge bench ruling in Justice K.S. Puttaswamy (Retd) v. Union of India (2017) established privacy as a fundamental right under Article 21 of the Constitution, directly shaping how biometric data stored in CIDR must be handled. Civil biometrics (Aadhaar enrollment, passport, driving licence) are distinguished from criminal biometrics (NCRB CFPB fingerprint database, AFIS).

Topics covered:

• Seven biometric properties: universality, distinctiveness, permanence, collectability, performance, acceptability, circumvention
• Physiological biometrics: fingerprint, iris, retina, face, palm vein, DNA
• Behavioural biometrics: voice, gait, signature, keystroke dynamics
• Multimodal biometrics: feature-level, score-level, and decision-level fusion
• Daugman algorithm and iris codes; eigenfaces and Fisherfaces for face recognition
• Enrollment, verification (1:1), and identification (1:N) workflows
• UIDAI Aadhaar: 12-digit UID, CIDR, eKYC; Aadhaar Act 2016; Puttaswamy 2017
• ISO/IEC 19794 biometric data interchange standards

Calibrated for first-pass UGC-NET Forensic Science Paper II Unit VIII preparation, NFSU MSc Forensic Science entrance revision, and NCRB CFPB examination readiness. Allow 30 minutes.