The FBI played a crucial role in biometric technology, funding its study and innovation. Around the 1970s, they collaborated with the National Institute of Science and Technology (NIST) to work on algorithms and minimize data storage of this technology. This venture resulted in the development of the M40 algorithm, which is the first working matching algorithm the FBI used.
By the 1990s, biometric technology boomed, and more organizations started collaborating for and funding its research and development. Soon after, the technology became commercially available, used in electronic passports and other Machine-Readable Travel Documents (MRTDs) and government operations for tracking and identifying potential security threats.
Fast forward to the 21st century; biometric technology has become an essential component of modern identity verification. Many enterprises integrate this technology into their systems to provide a passwordless authentication UX for their customers. In addition, biometric technology is seen as the future of user authentication.
There is more information to know about how modern biometric technology came to be. See this infographic from LoginID, which details its history.
