Voice Biometrics

The latest addition to your digital profile may very well be the sound of your own voice. Often referred to as the invisible biometric, the “voiceprint” is becoming an increasingly popular means of identification, and a step up from knowledge-based security methods.

The technology takes advantage of the fact that a person’s speech is as unique as a fingerprint, with hundreds of distinctive characteristics relating to the sounds of air flowing out of the lungs, across the vocal chords, over the tongue and out through the lips, nose and teeth. Once all of these features are analyzed, they can be compared to the voiceprint on file to verify or identify the speaker.

One obvious advantage is the elimination of layers and layers of PINs, passwords and security questions that have become the hallmark of knowledge-based systems. But better than that, would-be hackers are discouraged from attempting to break into voiceprint secured accounts because doing so requires that they leave behind their own voiceprint.

No longer the exclusive purview of governments and intelligence services, voice biometrics are already gaining momentum in the business sector with revenues expected to double over the next year. It’s been estimated that over 65 million voiceprints have already been harvested and stored in databases for commercial as well as security/surveillance applications.