False Acceptance

(f ls ak-sep t&ns) (n.) In biometrics, the instance of a security system incorrectly verifying or identifying an unauthorized person. Also referred to as a type II error, a false acceptance typically is considered the most serious of biometric security errors as it gives unauthorized users access to systems that expressly are trying to keep them out.

The false acceptance rate, or FAR, is the measure of the likelihood that the biometric security system will incorrectly accept an access attempt by an unauthorized user. A system’s FAR typically is stated as the ratio of the number of false acceptances divided by the number of identification attempts.

Compare to false rejection.

Vangie Beal
Vangie Beal
Vangie Beal is a freelance business and technology writer covering Internet technologies and online business since the late '90s.
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