Biometrics: Who We Are and How to Prove It

Biometrics: Your Body and the Science of Security by Maria Birmingham, illustrated by Ian Turner.

Copyright 2017 by Owlkid Books. Ages 8-12; Lexile level 1010.

Our society's current relationship with physical technology security is a complex one. On one hand, many of us unlock our phones with a fingerprint or our face without a second thought. On the other, the use of facial recognition in public areas has been in the news recently, raising concerns about security and the potential of a “big brother” state. And as much as today’s children are native technology users when it comes to entertainment and education, they probably aren’t giving much thought to securing that technology (except maybe from a pesky little sister).

Biometrics: Your Body and the Science of Security is an interesting and informative introduction to this aspect of technology. Birmingham brings a detailed, balanced approach to educating young readers about the current biometrics in use and those that are in development. These range from those that kids have probably heard of - fingerprints, retinal scans - to those that might surprise even adult readers - did you know that we’ve started using the pattern of veins in your hand as a means of identification?

At a minimum, each biometric’s profile covers how easy the biometric is to implement and how secure it is, how the biological data is gathered, where the technique currently used, and potential challenges and downsides. Some profiles are further fleshed out with the history of the biometric and improvements or related techniques that are in process. For instance, South Korean scientists are trying to create a way for machines to read the pattern of sweat pores on fingertips as an alternative to reading the traditional pattern of ridges that make up fingerprints.

The writing level is just right - not too technical, not too simplistic. Some readers may still be initially intimidated; though each page’s layout separates information into clear subsections, there’s still a lot of text, almost to the point of being cluttered. However, Turner’s playful illustration style does help break up the text blocks and adds much needed visual interest.

Biometrics would be good for kids who are particularly curious about the technology they use. It could also be a good resource for compare and contrast lessons/exercise, in which students could each pick which biometric they think is best and defend it. Or they could even try to come up with ideas for future biometrics! In any case, readers will be better informed to make real-life choices about their personal security for years to come.