The Centre for Information Policy Leadership (“CIPL”) at Hunton Andrews Kurth recently released a report on Enabling Beneficial and Safe Uses of Biometric Technology Through Risk-Based Regulations (the “Report”). The Report examines global laws and regulations that target biometric data and encourages adoption of a risk-based approach. According to the Report, biometric technology applications are growing and can provide societal and economic benefits. However, there are recognized concerns over potential harms for individuals and their rights, and data protection and privacy laws are increasingly targeting the collection and use of biometric data.
CIPL’s Report details a variety of biometric technology use cases in multiple contexts and sectors, such as device, account and enterprise security; public and event security; online safety; accessibility; and health care. These use cases serve as a backdrop for the Report, which encourages lawmakers, policymakers and regulators to:
- Strive for consistency and accuracy across jurisdictions and industry when defining biometric data and biometric technology-related vocabulary;
- Require organizational accountability measures to promote responsible development and deployment;
- Implement collaborative regulatory tools such as sandboxes to support applications; and
- Adopt a three-pronged, risk-based approach for the regulation of biometric technologies.