Biometrics Institute develops action plan to promote ethical use of biometrics

Biometrics Institute reports that more than 270 members and stakeholders met last week during the Biometrics Congress and related events to agree on an action plan to promote the responsible and ethical use of biometrics. Events were attended by government agencies, financial institutions, aviation representatives and international organizations from 28 countries.

“This is an exciting time for biometrics,” explains Isabelle Moeller, CEO of Biometrics Institute. “The technology has come a long way and our biometric community is aware of its capabilities but also its challenges and limitations. Privacy, data protection, a lack of standards and certification for digital identity and ethical use remain the main focus.”

According to the announcement, it was agreed to develop additional good practice papers focusing on questions of presentation attack detection and the use of facial biometrics to be used to provide education and training to the biometric community. The Biometrics Institute notes it is “well-placed to provide thought-leadership and guidance on important questions including how to balance security, convenience and privacy, how to harness biometric technology to create social enablement, how to manage identity in the uncontrolled digital space and how to manage identities along the travel continuum”.

The Institute has previously produced good practice guiding material including Understanding Biometrics – Considerations for Implementing a Biometric System, the Privacy Guidelines and the UN Compendium of Recommended Practices for the Responsible Use and Sharing of Biometrics in Counter-terrorism.

“We are at an important junction,” Moeller continues. “We have seen the adoption of biometrics develop at a speed that makes it challenging for legislation, standards and policies to keep pace. The Institute, with its diverse membership, is well placed to lead the way on where we want to go with biometrics. There was unanimous agreement amongst our members that ethical questions need to be an integral part of that approach. We want to see successful implementations of biometrics and create a world that is a better place through the responsible and ethical use of biometrics.”

The next Biometrics Institute gathering of members and stakeholders is in November at the Showcase Australia conference.

Article Topics

best practices  |  biometrics  |  Biometrics Institute  |  digital identity  |  facial recognition  |  standards