CDSA/HRS (Common Data Security Architecture/Human Recognition Service) is a CSSM (Common Security Services Manager) EMM (Elective Module Manager). It is intended to provide a high-level generic authentication model, suited to use for any form of human authentication. Particular emphasis has been made in the design on its suitability for authentication using biometric technology. It covers the basic functions of Enrollment, Verification, and Identification, and includes a database interface to allow a biometric service provider (BSP) to manage the identification population for optimum performance. It also provides primitives which allow the application to manage the capture of samples on a client, and the Enrollment, Verification, and Identification, on a server. The HRS is designed for use by both application developers and biometric technology developers. To make the integration of the technology as straightforward and simple as possible (thus enhancing its commercial viability), the approach taken is to hide or encapsulate to the extent possible the complexities of the biometric technology. This approach also serves to extend the generality of the interface to address a larger set of potential biometric technologies and applications.