A device for generating a biometric public key for an individual based on biometric data of the individual, without the need for non-transient storage of the biometric data, the device comprising: a transducer; and a computing facility, coupled to the transducer, the computing facility including a computing processor and a non-transitory computer readable storage medium encoded with instructions that, when executed by the computing processor, establish computer processes comprising: receiving by the computing facility, from the transducer, a digital electronic signal that characterizes a biometric of the individual; extracting by the computing facility, from the digital electronic signal, a set of biometric values of the individual; identifying, in the set of biometric values, locations where features are present; encoding the set of biometric values by choosing a marker at locations where features are present and, where features are not present, choosing noisy data; generating by the computing facility a secret number S; computing by the computing facility the biometric public key B based on the secret number and the encoded set of biometric values, wherein the biometric public key verifiably characterizes both the biometric data of the individual and the secret number without the need for non-transient storage of either the biometric data of the individual or the secret number; and storing the biometric public key in a storage facility. a transducer; and a computing facility, coupled to the transducer, the computing facility including a computing processor and a non-transitory computer readable storage medium encoded with instructions that, when executed by the computing processor, establish computer processes comprising: receiving by the computing facility, from the transducer, a digital electronic signal that characterizes a biometric of the individual; extracting by the computing facility, from the digital electronic signal, a set of biometric values of the individual; identifying, in the set of biometric values, locations where features are present; encoding the set of biometric values by choosing a marker at locations where features are present and, where features are not present, choosing noisy data; generating by the computing facility a secret number S; computing by the computing facility the biometric public key B based on the secret number and the encoded set of biometric values, wherein the biometric public key verifiably characterizes both the biometric data of the individual and the secret number without the need for non-transient storage of either the biometric data of the individual or the secret number; and storing the biometric public key in a storage facility. receiving by the computing facility, from the transducer, a digital electronic signal that characterizes a biometric of the individual; extracting by the computing facility, from the digital electronic signal, a set of biometric values of the individual; identifying, in the set of biometric values, locations where features are present; encoding the set of biometric values by choosing a marker at locations where features are present and, where features are not present, choosing noisy data; generating by the computing facility a secret number S; computing by the computing facility the biometric public key B based on the secret number and the encoded set of biometric values, wherein the biometric public key verifiably characterizes both the biometric data of the individual and the secret number without the need for non-transient storage of either the biometric data of the individual or the secret number; and storing the biometric public key in a storage facility.