UK Citizen’s Biometrics Council says ICO guidance is a step in the right direction

The Citizen’s Biometrics Council of the Ada Lovelace Institute says the UK Information Commissioner’s Office has made a good start in establishing guidance for the use of biometrics, but needs to work on enforcement, and may need legislative help.

The “Listening to the Public” report presents seven findings and five recommendations based on them for the ICO.

The council was asked for its views on the ICO’s proposal for guidance and regulation of biometric data use by Ada Lovelace, the ICO, and social research firm Hopkins Van Mil in late-2022. There are 30 people from diverse demographic groups and backgrounds who represented the council in presentations from the ICO and crafting feedback.

Overall, the council felt the ICO has made significant progress towards addressing the concerns and recommendations it shared in 2021 as a companion to the Ryder Review.  Council members questioned how effective enforcement would be, and suggested new laws specific to biometrics may be needed. They also noted low public awareness of how biometrics are used, and the ICO’s role. Though consent is addressed in the ICO’s guidance, it remains an area of concern for some council members.

Some council members saw the potential for greater equity through biometrics, while others are concerned that poorly designed systems could have the opposite effect. More needs to be done to anticipate problems with future developments in biometrics, some say.

The considerations the council asks the ICO to take into account include moving beyond guidance to codes of conduct or legislation, advice which seems to clash with the recent decision to eliminate the role of the Surveillance Camera and Biometrics Commissioner. The council also advises the ICO to work on legislative and policy updates, public engagement and awareness, and accessibility and inclusion, and ethical and social concerns, such as those around transparency.

The ICO has also published a summary of its biometrics guidance impact assessment.

Comments on the proposed guidance will be accepted until October 20, 2023.

Article Topics

Ada Lovelace Institute  |  biometrics  |  data protection  |  Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO)  |  regulation  |  surveillance