Educational Media Reviews Online

The topic of this production is biometrics, the field of measuring anatomical, physiological and behavioral aspects of humans. Biometrics offers a way to identify individuals that is much more sophisticated than identification cards, for example. The film is composed of interviews with experts who discuss the advantages and disadvantages of biometric identification.

Identification technology has become a booming business worldwide, mainly because of the fear of terrorism. Several manufacturers of biometric identification systems, such as fingerprint, iris and vein pattern identification, explain how the systems work and what their advantages are. Live action footage successfully clarifies how identification is achieved.

The disadvantages of biometric identification are explained by two groups: Chaos Computer Club in Germany and CNIL in France. The first group demonstrates how your fingerprint identity can be stolen, as an example of how easy it is to hack into identification systems. CNIL is the French Data Protection Authority, and its representative addresses the ethical issues involved in biometric identification, mainly privacy.

The film is unbiased on the issue of biometric identification. It gives a balanced presentation of the pros and cons involved with biometric technology. Biometrics is a good DVD to pair with Tracked Down by Our Genes, which offers a balanced analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of genetic identification.

While the content of this film is age-appropriate for senior high students, there are two features that may cause a teacher to hesitate in showing it to a high school class. There is brief nudity, specifically footage of a nude man walking. This occurs in the section of the movie about identifying people by their unique walking styles. The second feature of the film is subtitles. Experts from Japan, Singapore, France and other countries are interviewed, so a significant portion of the dialogue in Biometrics must be read in subtitles.