Security in Context: Investigating the Impact of context on Attitudes towards Biometric Technology

Biometric technologies are increasingly being used in a diverse range of contexts, from immigration control, to banking and personal computing. However, there has been little research that has investigated how biometrics are perceived across these different environments. This paper describes a qualitative investigation of the effect of context on attitudes towards biometric technology. Data collection was carried out in-situ in a train station, an airport and a retail environment. A categorisation of participants’ attitudes towards biometrics is presented based on the data collected. There was little evidence for the perception of biometrics varying across the different locations, though security was found to be a more complex, context dependant notion that expected. The results are discussed with reference to notions of context and the acceptability of biometrics for future applications.