Biometrics Institute spotlights 5 key industry concerns in annual report

Deepfakes are making it difficult for biometric systems to determine who is fake, while bots and AI agents are making it hard to prove real people are transacting online. Keeping systems safe will depend on technologies such as proof-of-personhood (PoP), behavioral biometrics and presentation attack detection (PAD), according to a new report from the Biometrics Institute.

The State of Biometrics Report 2025, published on Wednesday, focuses on five key areas that the biometrics community should pay attention to in the future. Aside from critical investments into tech that can help distinguish between fake and real people, this includes privacy issues, the question of proportionality, the need for digital identity standards and emerging biometric modalities.

“The five themes of the report are the areas that we need to monitor and discuss in our community of professionals to ensure that biometrics are used responsibly, ethically and effectively to put people first,” says Isabelle Moeller, CEO of the Biometrics Institute.

According to the organization’s industry survey, 48 percent of respondents remain concerned over privacy and data protection. Another 48 percent believe that regulation and policy will not keep up with data protection needs.

Despite concerns, over 90 percent of respondents report high confidence in biometrics as a means to secure digital IDs. Privacy should be guaranteed by promoting safeguards, minimal data exposure and control over personal data, says the report.

The State of Biometrics Report is being presented during the Biometrics Institute’s annual Congress in London on October 15th and 16th. During the event, stakeholders are invited to discuss how data about the body is being used and how regulation can enable low-risk and beneficial technologies through a risk-based approach.

The report also covers questions such as the proportionate use of biometric systems and who is placed on a watchlist. Security threats should be balanced with privacy to support public trust.

In September, the institute held a debate on securing identity systems, covering topics such as behavioral biometrics and device-centric versus user-centric digital authentication.

During the On The Pulse Conversation event, experts also discussed how deep learning and Large Language Models (LLMs) are increasing accuracy and efficiency in analyzing large datasets or recognizing subtle patterns in facial and fingerprint recognition.

Alcatraz brings real-world access control experience to Institute

Alcatraz is the latest addition to the Biometrics Institute’s membership roll.

The facial authentication technology maker can contribute experience building biometric access control systems that build in privacy through opt-in enrollment, encrypted templates and detailed audit reports that support compliance with major data protection frameworks around the world.

“With deployments across critical infrastructure, government and enterprise environments, we bring a real-world perspective to what responsible biometric implementation looks like in practice,” says Alcatraz CEO Tina D’Agostin in the announcement. “Joining the Biometrics Institute reflects Alcatraz’s commitment to shaping global best practices around privacy, transparency and accountability.”

D’Agostin is participating in the Biometrics Institute Congress and side events this week in London.

Article Topics

Alcatraz AI  |  biometrics  |  Biometrics Institute  |  deepfake detection  |  digital identity  |  presentation attack detection  |  proof of personhood