Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Biometrics can't do everything

Biometric registration can't solve election problems - EC (Ghana News Agency)
Dr Afari-Gyan said from the experience in Ghana, the introduction of the biometric machine in the voting process of elections was not the absolute answer to all election problems.

“The machines are not always the full answers to our problem, because they cannot distinguish between fingerprints of a minor and an adult, or a foreigner and an indigene,” Dr Afari-Gyan said.

Rather,he called for supervision and monitoring of the entire election process as well as training of people who operated the biometric machines to ensure that all eligible voters were identified and allowed to vote accordingly.
It's true. A technological system designed to account for people can never free itself entirely from the "human element."


...and I don't think you'd want it to.