Published Paper Details:

In a world of evolving technology and culture the use of biometric authentication technology is becoming increasingly popular in both commercial and government environments. However, the acceptance of biometric technology varies across cultures. Previous research has identified user concerns about biometric authentication technology, but most of this research has been conducted in European contexts. There is a lack of research that has investigated attitudes towards biometric technology in other cultures with Indian respondents viewing biometrics most positively while respondents from South Africa despite it being more diverse (by ethic fractionization) least likely to have a positive opinion about biometrics. Multiple barriers to the acceptance of biometric technology were identified with data security and health and safety fears having the greatest overall impact on respondents' attitudes towards biometrics. The results of this investigation are discussed with reference to Hofstede's cultural dimensions and theories of technology acceptance. It is argued that contextual issues specific to each country provide a better explanation of the results than existing theories based on Hofstede's model. We conclude that cultural differences have an impact on the way biometric systems will be used and argue that these factors should be taken into account during the design and implementation of biometric systems.