The Biometrics Institute has issued a statement stressing the importance of public health and privacy to parties developing biometric solutions to COVID-19.

The statement was released on Data Privacy Day 2021, ahead of a review of its privacy guidelines for biometrics.

The institute urged caution to those developing solutions quickly and asked how much privacy the public can expect to sacrifice.

It said that biometrics have the potential to fight the Covid-19 challenge in workplaces, borders and in public places, as well as to enable a contactless lifestyle and mitigate contamination risks.

The statement also highlighted how biometrics can transform the monitoring and management of crowded and potentially hazardous places like office buildings, shops, factories, airports, and stadiums.

However, the institute warned that anyone implementing biometrics should approach their project “responsibly and ethically,” ignoring temptations to cut corners.

The Biometrics Institute has begun its biennial process of updating its privacy guidelines, due to be released in May, to reflect global changes in technology or legislation.

It said these changes stem from extensive monitoring and consultation by an expert range of global specialists.

The guidelines were first introduced by Biometrics Institute members in 2006 and consist of 16 principles ranging from non-discrimination to maintaining a strong privacy environment.

The upcoming review will examine how digital transformation, the sophistication and privacy implications of artificial intelligence, and discrimination risks may force changes to the guidelines.

“We need an informed discussion on how to protect health data, as well as public health,” said Isabelle Moeller, chief executive of The Biometrics Institute. “Proper policies and processes must be implemented before the technology is rolled out. COVID-19 has created potential new use cases of biometrics in the application of video and other surveillance to trace people who have tested positive or interacted with individuals who have.”

She added: “Whether health protection trumps privacy protection is a new and controversial question for our age.”

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