Biometrics Institute receives funding to further develop certification program

The Biometrics Institute announced it has received funding from the Australian government to further develop its Trust Mark certification.

First announced last November, the Biometrics Institute’s Trust Mark certification program is designed to reassure the public of the responsible use of biometrics, as well as make privacy compliance more transparent and easier to understand.

The Trust Mark program is particularly important considering that biometrics raise various concerns amongst consumers that can be addressed by a certification to signify compliance with an independent and reputable set of privacy criteria.

“It is a significant stamp of approval to receive funding to proceed with the Trust Mark development as it confirms the high level of interest and support for this proposal, which shall give consumers confidence in the responsible use of an identity product or service,” said Isabelle Moeller, CEO of the Biometrics Institute, “We will continue to brief our members and stakeholders on the Trust Mark at our upcoming events including the Washington DC meeting next week on September 15, the Biometrics 2015 on October 13-15 in London and the Showcase Australia on the November 18 in Canberra.”

The Biometrics Institute conducted a feasibility report between February and June which included a landscape scan and road map for implementing Trust Mark and confirmed that there is strong industry support for the certification program.

“The challenge is now to develop the technical criteria for the Trust Mark,” said Terry Aulich, head of the privacy expert group of the Biometrics Institute, “A specially convened review panel will oversee and peer-review the criteria rigorously and independently. The review panel consists of 7 industry experts drawn from the Institute’s international membership”.

For this second phase, the Biometrics Institute will continue to work with specialist independent advisory firm Lockstep Consulting as well as consult with numerous stakeholders to shape the Trust Mark criteria.

“We found that the biometrics market is ready for a new trust mark to help provide confidence that given biometrics solutions are privacy protective,” said Lockstep managing director Stephen Wilson. ”So Lockstep is delighted to be helping the Biometrics Institute take this initiative forward with the technical criteria.”

The Biometrics Institute Trust Mark program has drawn strong support among privacy advocates, biometrics vendors and implementers, alike.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  Biometrics Institute  |  certification  |  privacy  |  Trust Mark