With the proliferation of biometric technology such as face, fingerprint, iris and voice recognition, concerns have arisen regarding the vulnerability of our biometric data. How can we safeguard our irreplaceable biometric data, which are intricately linked to our biological identities, from potential compromise? In the “Handbook of Biometric Template Protection,” we delve into the rapidly evolving world of Biometric Template Protection (BTP), which strives to mitigate the risks associated with the storage and usage of biometric templates (i.e., features that encode our biometric characteristics). This book presents a comprehensive overview of the BTP research field in three main parts. Firstly, it explores the importance of BTP in light of the dangers posed by compromised templates, the limitations of generic data protection mechanisms, and the need to adhere to privacy regulations. Secondly, it examines a number of different BTP methods, including handcrafted and learned techniques. Lastly, it discusses evaluation metrics used to assess the robustness of BTP methods. Each chapter includes study questions to encourage the reader to reflect on the content and deepen their understanding. Whether you are a newcomer to the BTP field, a seasoned researcher, or a practitioner wishing to deploy BTP in real-world biometrics applications, this book offers valuable insights into BTP’s critical role in safeguarding our identities. You will come away with not only a firm grasp of the fundamental concepts, but with inspiration to further advance biometric template protection to ensure more responsible use of biometric data in practice.
