Survey shows Americans highly receptive to biometric IDs

Americans remain wary of public surveillance -- see last week's story about the outcry raised when cameras were placed atop a Chicago art installation -- but they have much less concern about the use of biometrics in passports. So say the certification and seal program Truste and its survey partner TNS, who report that not only do 82 percent support the use of biometrics for international travel, but 75 percent support its use in driver's licenses and 73 percent do for Social Security cards. And why are Americans so blase on this topic? Perhaps it is because more than half of respondents agreed with the statement that "it will make it much harder for terrorists to operate within the U.S. with the use of biometrics to establish the identity of Americans," and two-thirds believed it would crack down on identity theft -- a major source of American anxiety these days.

Interestingly, Americans' willingness to go along with biometric identification comes at the same time that they acknowledge the risks to privacy and civil liberties, suggesting that they are comfortable making some trade-offs for heightened homeland security systems. Fifty-three percent of respondents agreed with the statement that the use of biometrics "will greatly reduce personal privacy because the government will be able to track your movements," while 60 percent agreed that "there is a high potential for the government to misuse the information."

Note to the biometrics industry: According to the survey, only 70 percent of respondents had even heard of biometrics prior to the survey. Perhaps it is time for a technology awareness public relations campaign.

-read more in this news release