You're an individual; you're unique; and you have the fingerprints to prove it.

Since fingerprints were first used as a means of identification in 1892, they have become the golden standard for identification. Everyone — including monozygotic twins who have identical DNA — has their own unique set of prints.

But, as countless movies and episodes of 'CSI' have shown, fingerprints can be tampered with. Easily removed or unintentionally damaged through occupational hazards, fingerprints can also be easily duplicated.

As concerns with identity theft and security increase, we are turning to more sophisticated ways of proving our 'identity'.

Fingerprinting is one of the most basic forms of biometrics, which is a method of identifying humans based on one or more intrinsic physical or behavioural traits. The method works by comparing an input sample with a template.

As it turns out, our fingerprints are not the only things that are unique — so too are our hands, faces, irises, retinas and vein structure. We also have a number of unique behavioural characteristics such as the way we type, speak (also physiological) and sign our name.

Some of these — such as the retina and vein layout — are almost impossible to change or tamper with. Biometric identification is, however, not without its concerns. All data, including biometrics, is vulnerable in storage or in a state of processing.

Because we have a limited number of biometric samples, they become more difficult to replace. If you forget a password or if your access token is stolen, you can always cancel the old one and get a replacement.

If, however, your biometric samples are compromised, you will be unable to replace them. So, while biometrics potentially increase personal security, they also pose a bigger threat in the case of identity theft.

Hand geometry

Hand geometry, which measures the shape and ratios of the hand, is based on the fact that almost every individual's hand is shaped differently and alters very little over the course of time.

Although the method can probably be quite easily duped, it is not without some distinct advantages: speed of operation, reliability, small template size (at under 10 bytes, the technology possesses one of the smallest reference templates in the biometric field), user-friendliness and ease of integration into an existing system.

Facial recognition

A facial recognition system captures an individual's face on camera; uses an algorithm to determine the exact proportions of the face; and then compares it to the 'faces' stored in the database.

Most facial identification systems only allow for a two dimensional frontal image of a face. This means that the systems are unable to distinguish between a live three-dimensional face and a high quality photograph of a face. To combat this problem, newer systems allow for front and side views, which in effect produce a three-dimensional map of the face.

A future technology, which is currently being explored, is thermal imaging. Using infrared, this system captures the unique pattern of blood vessels under the skin of the face. This will not only eliminate the security concern of unauthorised individuals showing the camera photographs, but will also make it considerably more tamper-proof.

Facial recognition systems are currently being used by the German Federal Police, the London Borough of Newham (in their CCTV system) and the Australian Customs Service. An advantage of facial recognition systems is that they can perform mass scanning, which is not possible with other biometrics such as fingerprinting, iris scanning and speech recognition.

Mass scanning is, however, a double-edged sword. While it can be used in airports and other public places to detect criminals or terrorists in the crowd; it also raises some concerns about privacy and government control.