METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SECURELY TRANSMITTING AND AUTHENTICATING BIOMETRIC DATA OVER A NETWORK

摘要

A method and apparatus for collecting and securely transmitting biometric da ta over a network contains a sensor, preferably a camera, for collecting biometric data and code generating hardware and software. The camera data is digitized and a unique code which is a function of the digitized camera data, a secret key and a transaction token is attach ed to the digital file. The code may identify the sensor which acquired the biometric information, a time at which the biometric informatio n was acquired, or a time interval during which the data is considered to be valid, and a unique transaction code. The data and code are transmitted over a network to a server which authenticates that the data has not been altered by recomputing the code using its own knowledg e of the secret key and transaction token needed to generate the code. If the data is authentic the server then computes a biometric template using the data. This biometric template is then compared to a previously defined biometric template to identify the user and give the user access to a secured resource. The system can be used for online banking and Internet commerce transactions.