Assessing the Impact of Concern for Privacy and Innovation Characteristics in the Adoption of Biometric Technologies

The introduction of biometric techniques into the workplace is both a source of anxiety and excitement. While biometric techniques are easier to use, fears and concerns relating to an individual’s privacy influence their intention to adopt such techniques. To assess this influence, in this study, we endeavor to propose a model of Biometric Technology Adoption in organizations by building upon Roger’s Perceived Characteristics of Innovation (PCI) Model. A set of testable hypotheses is also provided in order to empirically validate the model. INTRODUCTION With the growing concerns for security, various technologies are being developed and deployed to safeguard and mitigate the concerns of organizations and users. Some examples of these technologies include: Password protected accounts, Anti-virus software, Biometrics, Firewalls, Intrusion Detection / Prevention Systems, and Smart cards, to name a few. Although organizations are investing resources for computers and information systems security, people are the weakest link in the information security (Mitnick and Simon 2002; Mitnick 2003; Whitman and Mattord 2003; Wade 2004). Systems are designed in such a way that the users needs to authenticate and verify self in the form of passwords in order to access the resources. However, employees are found to knowingly share their password with fellow employees. They are also many times duped into disclosing their password (Social Engineering). Difficulty in remembering dissimilar passwords discourages people to have different passwords for various accounts. Again, strict complexities and rules involved while creating a password and a requirement to change the password after