Germany issues white paper on biometrics in consumer products

The German government has issued a new white paper this month evaluating biometrics in consumer products.

Authored by the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI), the document assesses the security of mobile devices’ biometrics, including fingerprint scans and facial recognition, as part of two-factor authentication (2FA).

The analysis also lays out recommendations to providers and manufacturers on implementing biometrics in a secure and user-friendly way. This includes storing facial images in such a way that the image cannot be accessed and processing biometric data in a protected environment. Presentation attack detection is also considered an important part of security.

The agency advises consumers to switch on two-factor authentication as soon as an online service allows it.

“The use of biometrics in biometrics in 2FA procedures can increase user-friendliness. Unlike passwords, faces and fingers can neither be forgotten or lost,” the paper notes.

Article Topics

biometric authentication  |  biometric liveness detection  |  biometrics  |  consumer electronics  |  German Federal Office for Information Security (BSI)  |  Germany  |  smartphones  |  user experience