Technical and Non-Technical Problems in Biometric Physical Access Control Systems

The increase in security measures due to the complex international situation is forcing the realization of physical access control systems equipped with biometric identifiers. The identification based on physical or behavioural characteristics represents one of the most sophisticated ways to protect buildings or sensible sites but, unfortunately, at the same time, requires the resolution of many different problems. While the technical difficulties may be considered "internationally transversal", and therefore reasonably "known" into the scientific community, non-technical issues may differ from country to country, thus involving often the lack of reference cases. Aspects such as labour legislation or privacy protection reflect national guidelines and may result in significant constraints on the implementation of biometrics. The present document highlights some of the constraints and problems encountered in the project of a biometric access control system for a large compound of the Italian Ministry of the Defence (MoD), attended by a reasonably high number of employees and characterized by a strong personnel degree of dishomogeneity. In addition, the present contribution intends to highlight the role played by societal and psychological issues in the implementation of a biometric project.