A survey about user requirements for biometric authentication on smartphones

The increasing number of smartphone users stresses the need for an improved protection of users´ personal data, such as health information, personal identifiers and financial data. One trend to address this need is the adoption of biometric authentication techniques such as fingerprint and iris recognition. We report on a study that examines user requirements and preferences for biometric authentication on smartphones with the focus on iris recognition. We surveyed users about their perception of different biometric authentication techniques in terms of trust, information security, and data privacy. Furthermore, we assessed tradeoffs that users are willing to accept for additional security. We also examined usability requirements for iris recognition and identified trends between different demographic groups. We discuss the findings and emphasize the need for an improved, data-driven, understanding of the emerging requirements for such biometric mobile systems.