more on biometrics

Adam points to a recent academic work on reproducing fingerprints from the 'templates' of data points that most systems use (instead of a full image of the fingerprint).

Adam has links to the studies. What is interesting to me is that biometrics has such a strong hold on so many people's idea of what will happen. I often hear something like "well, eventually every computer will have a fingerprint reader". All I can say is "I doubt it."

Is it all the Bond movies with biometric readers? Of course, most of those are foiled by fake contact lenses. Is it that the number of detective stories where the crook is caught by leaving a fingerprint vastly outnumber the ones with the crooked cop has framed the innocent stooge by using scotch tape to plant a fingerprint at the crime scene?

As people now are starting to realize that hardly anyone can be trusted with an unchangeable identifier such as a social security number, why do they want to give them their fingerprint?