Use and acceptance of biometric technologies in 2017

Identity crime and misuse cost the Australian economy an estimated $2.65b in 2015–16 (Jorna & Smith 2018). Considerable effort has been devoted to finding secure ways to verify individuals’ identity and to secure their personal information. Biometrics is the fastest developing technological solution. It makes use of people’s unique biological characteristics to identify them when dealing with government and business. Since 2013, the Australian Institute of Criminology has conducted online surveys to gain a greater understanding of identity crime and misuse in Australia. These surveys have asked about respondents’ experience of identity crime and also their willingness to use biometric technologies to safeguard their personal information. This paper presents the results of the latest survey, conducted in 2017, which indicated generally high levels of previous exposure to biometrics and increasing willingness to use biometric technologies in the future.