9 March 2009
A new Technical Report by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) clarifies societal, cultural, and ethical issues related to the use of biometrics in security systems for identifying people.
ISO/IEC TR 24714-1:2008, Information technology – Biometrics – Jurisdictional and societal considerations for commercial applications – Part 1: General guidance, offers guidance on the design of systems that use biometric technologies to capture, process, and record biometric information.
Biometric technologies are currently required in many public and private sector applications worldwide to authenticate an individual's identity, secure national borders, and restrict access to secure sites including buildings and computer networks.
‘For decades, biometric technologies were primarily used in law enforcement applications,’ says Mr. Fernando Podio, Chairman of the ISO/IEC Joint Technical Committee that developed the report. ‘Currently, they are increasingly being required in multiple applications worldwide.’
‘These technologies provide the opportunity for deployment of significantly better security for physical and logical access control. ISO/IEC TR 24714-1 will help biometric-based system users, writers of system specifications, and decision makers, in the context of cross-jurisdictional and societal considerations for commercial applications of biometrics.’
Designers, implementers and system operators of biometric systems can gain the following benefits by following the recommendations and guidelines of the Technical Report:
- enhanced acceptance of systems using biometrics by subjects
- improved public perception and understanding of well-designed systems
- smoother introduction and operation of these systems
- potential long-term cost reduction (whole life costs)
- increased awareness of the range of accessibility-related issues
- adoption of commonly approved good privacy practice.
ISO/IEC TR 24714-1:2008 covers the following:
- the capture and design of initial requirements, including legal frameworks
- development and deployment
- operations, including enrolment and subsequent usage
- interrelationships with other systems
- related data storage and security of data
- data updates and maintenance
- training and awareness
- system evaluation and audit
- controlled system expiration.
Copies of ISO/IEC TR 24714-1:2008 can be ordered from Standards New Zealand by emailing enquiries@standards.co.nz or calling 0800 782 632 during business hours.
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