Editing Biometrics (section)

=== Proposed requirement for certain public networks ===
[[John Michael McConnell|John Michael (Mike) McConnell]], a former vice admiral in the [[United States Navy]], a former director of [[United States Director of National Intelligence|U.S. National Intelligence]], and senior vice president of [[Booz Allen Hamilton]], promoted the development of a future capability to require biometric authentication to access certain public networks in his keynote speech<ref name="McConnell-Keynote">{{Cite conference
 |last1       = McConnell
 |first1      = Mike
 |title       = KeyNote Address
 |conference  = Biometric Consortium Conference
 |date        = January 2009
 |place       = Tampa Convention Center, Tampa, Florida
 |url         = http://www.boozallen.com/consulting-services/services_article/42861927
 |access-date  = 20 February 2010
 |url-status     = dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20100218024851/http://www.boozallen.com/consulting-services/services_article/42861927
 |archive-date = 18 February 2010}}</ref> at the 2009 Biometric Consortium Conference.

A basic premise in the above proposal is that the person that has uniquely authenticated themselves using biometrics with the computer is in fact also the agent performing potentially malicious actions from that computer. However, if control of the computer has been subverted, for example in which the computer is part of a [[botnet]] controlled by a hacker, then knowledge of the identity of the user at the terminal does not materially improve network security or aid law enforcement activities.<ref name="Schneier-Anonymous">{{cite web
 |last        = Schneier
 |first       = Bruce
 |title       = The Internet: Anonymous Forever
 |date = 12 May 2010
 |url         = http://www.schneier.com/essay-308.html
 |access-date  = 1 October 2011
 |url-status     = live
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20111012204958/http://www.schneier.com/essay-308.html
 |archive-date = 12 October 2011}}
</ref>