Biometrics Institute unveils privacy guidelines

The Biometrics Institute has released the new Biometrics Institute Privacy Guidelines to its members to provide guidance on best-practice for biometrics and privacy.The Biometrics Institute first developed the guidelines in November 2011 and has conducted a regular review to keep the document relevant and up-to-date."With a now global membership base, it was time to review the guidelines again," says Isabelle Moeller, chief executive of the Biometrics Institute. "I am absolutely delighted with the work the Privacy Expert Group (PEG) completed to make this is truly universal best-practice guide."The PEG includes representatives from Australia, New Zealand, the UK and the USA including biometric industry experts, government employees, legal experts and privacy advocates. The guidelines were then circulated to the Board of Directors and have now been sent to members of the Biometrics Institute and key stakeholders for their input.The Hon Terry Aulich, head of the PEG says: "The guidelines recognise that biometrics are applied in many varying use cases around the world under a wide variety of regulatory regimes. It is not intended to be a replacement for international standards or regulatory requirements. It is a recommendation providing direction for the responsible use of biometrics."It contains 16 guiding principles addressing important issues such as proportionality, informed consent, protection of biometric data collected, purpose, retention and the importance of Privacy Impact Assessments.The Biometrics Institute says the guidelines complement the work it is currently conducting on the development of a Trust Mark for biometric products and services.

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