Final answer:
Biometric authentication uses unique biological traits like fingerprints for secure identification and is not related to credit cards, smart cards, or symmetric encryption.
Step-by-step explanation:
The technology that uses an individual's personal physical characteristics like fingerprints, facial features, and retinal scans for verification purposes is known as biometric authentication. Unlike other methods such as credit cards, smart cards, or symmetric encryption, biometric authentication takes advantage of the unique biological traits that vary from person to person. It provides a highly secure means of identification and access control, and is commonly used for security systems, immigration, smartphones, and computers.