How biometrics can help identification

• The biometrics used are unique to an individual. If sufficient unique points are taken in the record then that record will relate to one individual and no other. This helps to create stronger identification than say, "date of birth", "place of birth", "mother's maiden name", etc.
• However, the record has to be tied to the individual in the first place and remain securely tied to that record for as long as it is needed. This is where some of the problems start since the link between the individual and the biometric record can be wrong at the start (through fraud or error) or become corrupted during its life (maybe by error or by very skillful hacking).