Biometric fingerprint scan. Conceptual artwork of fingerprint scanning, showing a printed circuit board (PCB) overlaid with a human fingerprint. Fingerprints contain unique patterns that can be used to determine the identity of an individual. When a fingerprint is scanned, a computer will divide the scan into areas that are then compared to information already stored in a database. The process of automated identification of people using unique physiological traits is known as biometric identification.
