FB pixel

Scotland launches public consultation on biometrics code of practice

Scotland launches public consultation on biometrics code of practice
 

The Scottish Government has launched public consultation to collect input into the creation of a code of practice to be overseen by the Scottish Biometric Commissioner to govern the usage, storage, and disposal of biometric data, The Scotsman reports.

The consultation was one of several recommendations from an Independent Advisory Group on biometrics earlier this year, and will be taken into consideration as the government weighs additional rules to ensure the safe and proportionate use of biometric technology.

As elsewhere in the UK, fingerprint, DNA, and facial recognition data is held by law enforcement agencies, including Police Scotland and the Scottish Police Authority.

“Biometric data is critical to police investigations, including the prevention of crime. At the same time, it is important that the public have confidence in how this information is held, used and disposed of, which is why we want their views on these proposals,” said Cabinet secretary Humza Yousaf. “The creation of a code of practice, and a new commissioner to oversee that, will allow us to take full advantage of current and new technologies, and future developments in biometrics. By asking the public their views we are recognising not only the significance of biometrics to policing but also the important ethical and human rights considerations associated with such information.”

The Scottish Human Rights Commission chair Judith Robinson hailed the consultation as a “timely development,” and said public awareness and confidence needed to be increased in other areas of technology relating to data.

“Biometric technologies are a fast-developing area – consider, for example, recent debate around facial recognition – with potential for enhanced public protection and security,” said John Scott QC, who chaired the Independent Advisory Group. “It is, however, crucial that such developments occur in an ethical framework with proper respect for privacy and other human rights, as opposed to being solely technology-driven.”

Scottish law enforcement agencies are currently considering adding handheld latent fingerprint scanners as well as iris recognition technology to quickly identify individuals in custody.

Article Topics

 |   |   |   | 

Latest Biometrics News

 

Biometrics and injection detection for deepfake defense a rising priority

Biometrics integrations with injection attack detection to defend the latest front in the global battle against fraud, deepfakes, is the…

 

Biometric Update Podcast looks at the road to a global standard for age assurance

Episode 2 of the Biometric Update Podcast is a dispatch from the 2025 Global Age Assurance Standards Summit, held from…

 

WEF launches new DPI initiative focused on emerging tech, including biometrics

Global Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) initiatives are lagging behind emerging technologies such as AI, which could lead to inefficiencies, bottlenecks…

 

Odds are good for biometrics firms in the global gambling sector

Gambling has always been a vice associated with certain kinds of criminal activity, but the development of the online gambling…

 

New Zealand issues tender for digital ID services accreditation infrastructure

New Zealand’s accredited digital identity services regulator, the Trust Framework Authority (TFA), has published a request for information (RFI) for…

 

Pindrop surpasses $100M in annual recurring revenue, kicks off BU podcast

A release from Atlanta-based voice biometrics firm Pindrop celebrates a milestone: the firm has surpassed US$100 million in Annual Recurring…

Comments

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Market Analysis

Most Viewed This Week

Featured Company

Biometrics Insight, Opinion

Digital ID In-Depth

Biometrics White Papers

Biometrics Events