Biometrics Institute releases third annual report, celebrates 20 years

A report that examines new trends in the deployment and use of biometrics technology has been released by the Biometrics Institute as the association celebrates 20 years of its existence.

The report, dubbed State of Biometrics Report 2021, is the third of its kind and was released at the start of the Biometric Institute Congress which is ongoing, according to a press release. Speakers at the Congress are expected to discuss the report in detail in the course of the event.

This year, the report examines the use of biometrics in five key areas, namely COVID recovery efforts, governance, digital identity, commercial use of biometrics and the future directions which biometric technology development and use is likely to take in the coming years.

Unlike last year’s report which looked more at response strategies to COVID, the one this year delves into how the recovery process from the pandemic is likely to play out, especially regarding the travel industry and questions around digital health passes and safe management of attendance for events that pull huge crowds.

The chapter of the report about digital identity, the released indicates, looks at various issues including interoperability, re-use and how to design trusted digital identity systems.

The new chapter on the commercial use of biometrics handles the benefits and risks that come with commercial deployments, and how these can be managed.

Speaking about the report, Biometrics Institute Chief Executive Isabelle Moeller said: “Our annual State of Biometrics Report comes at a time of flux. Some businesses are opening up, while in other parts of the world organizations cannot see a clear path forwards. In the last 12 months, face recognition has again dominated headlines and remote identification, contactless processing and digitized services have commanded focus. The report will be discussed throughout the Biometrics Institute Congress where over 60 expert presenters and the online audience have the opportunity to learn more about its content.”

Biometrics Institute turns 20

The Biometrics Institute annual report launch comes as it celebrates 20 years of its contribution to the responsible and ethical use of biometric technology.

In another announcement, the Institute said as part of the celebration of its membership and impact, it will be launching a special 20th anniversary report on October 13 which explores how biometrics have made a positive contribution to the world in the areas of privacy and policy, technology innovation, research and development, applications and case studies.

Created in 2001, the Biometrics Institute currently has more than 220 membership organizations from 34 countries and enjoys support from banks, airlines, government agencies, biometric experts, privacy experts, suppliers, academics, United Nations agencies, IGOs and European Union institutions, according to the release.

Chief executive Isabelle Moeller said they were excited to be celebrating the milestone which has presented them with the opportunity “to showcase how Biometrics Institute Members have recognised the challenges and worked towards good practices to ensure responsible and ethical implementation.”

Ted Dunstone, founder of the Institute, commented: “We are only at the beginning of the significant transformation that our industry is going to see. There is a lot more work to be done especially in those areas where biometrics are unregulated. As biometric technology development and adoption continues to move at high-speed, the Institute has created a strong basis for its community to address challenges for privacy and policy in a timely manner. We will continue to raise the bar and bring together diverse stakeholders to have a balanced discussion about what good biometrics use should look like.”

Article Topics

best practices  |  biometrics  |  Biometrics Institute  |  digital identity  |  ethics  |  regulation