Factors Influencing the Adoption of Biometric Authentication in Mobile Government Security

Abstract

This dissertation presents a new substantive theory that identifies and describes the factors that influence the adoption of biometrics in the security of m-government applications. The developed theory is specific to a particular context and area of the application of biometric authentication into mobile devices for government services in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Given the continuing growth of mobile phone and Internet services, this dissertation is significant since it adds to current knowledge on how biometric authentication can play an integral role in providing secure m-government services. More specifically, this dissertation provides rich insight into understanding the adoption factors based on the concerns and perceptions of users, service providers, and network operators regarding the application of biometric authentication to mobile devices for government services. This dissertation is theoretically significant, because while the weakness of the current authentication method in mobile devices introduces additional demands to ensure that advanced authentication methods are used, no known research exists on the adoption of biometric authentication in mobile devices for government services, especially in Saudi Arabia. This dissertation addresses the gap in the literature by presenting an empirical study based on an analysis of the concerns and perceptions of mobile communication users, service providers, and mobile network operators regarding the application of biometric authentication to mobile devices for m-government services in Saudi Arabia.