What is False Acceptance Rate (FAR)?

What is False Acceptance Rate (FAR)?

False Acceptance Rate (FAR) is a metric used to measure the rate at which an biometric authentication system incorrectly accepts an unauthorized user as an authorized user. It is a type of error that occurs when the system incorrectly matches an imposter's biometric data to that of an authorized user. This error can occur when the biometric data of the imposter is similar enough to that of the authorized user to be accepted by the system.

FAR is typically expressed as a percentage and is calculated by dividing the number of false acceptances by the total number of authentication attempts. A lower FAR indicates a higher level of security, as it means that the system is less likely to accept an imposter as an authorized user. However, a lower FAR also means that the system may be more likely to reject legitimate authentication attempts.

To ensure a high level of security in biometric authentication systems, it is important to keep the FAR as low as possible while also maintaining a low False Rejection Rate (FRR), which is the rate at which the system incorrectly rejects an authorized user as an unauthorized user. A balance must be struck between these two metrics to ensure the system provides a high level of security without creating too many obstacles for authorized users.

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