Addressing Biometrics Privacy Concerns Within Your Organization

Biometric authentication techniques have transformed how we secure our digital lives, paving the way for an era where accessing sensitive information with a fingerprint or facial scan is not only possible but commonplace. The growing use of biometrics raises significant concerns about privacy, legal compliance, and protecting sensitive personal data. It is important not to shy away from these concerns but to understand the role of privacy laws and information protection and how biometrics can be leveraged properly and securely in this context.

Anonybit’s identity management platform provides a practical solution to these challenges, offering enterprises ways to safeguard biometric data and comply with privacy laws and regulations.

What Is Biometric Data?

At the most basic level, biometric data is a mathematical representation of an individuals’ unique behavioral and physical characteristics. There are many different types of biometric data, including:

• Face
• Fingerprint
• Palm 
• Iris pattern
• Voice

Less obvious biometric data involves behavioral characteristics or how individuals behave and act. 

These include:

• How we walk
• How we enter information on a keyboard
• The pressure we use when signing our name
• Other patterns that can be unique to a specific individual

This information can be gathered and stored in databases for user authentication and identification.

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How Is Biometric Data Collected, Stored And Used?

Biometric data storage involves three components:

• A sensor to collect input data
• A computer to process and save it
• Software to act as a go-between

The sensor records your biometric information, which is then converted into a digital format, encrypted, and sent for storage. When you provide your biometric credentials in the future, the software compares your new input to what’s stored in the database to authenticate a match.

Authentication

Biometrics are commonly used to authenticate a person’s identity. Examples include fingerprint or facial recognition to access smartphones or facial recognition technology at airport smart gates. Using biometrics to authenticate individuals is also known as one-to-one matching.

One-to-One Biometric

In one-to-one (1:1) biometric systems, a person’s biometric characteristic(s) are compared to the system’s existing data for that individual. In this instance, the individual has previously provided their biometric information for future authentication purposes.

Active vs. Passive Biometric Authentication

Most biometric systems used for authentication require the individual to actively provide their biometric characteristic, which matches existing biometric information in a database. Authentication can also occur passively, where the individual does not have to participate actively in the process.

Their biometric characteristic is collected and authenticated in the background as the individual transacts with the organization or service. For example, a person’s voice biometric may be collected and authenticated as they talk to a customer service representative over the phone.

Behavioral Biometrics for Passive Authentication

Behavioral biometrics are increasingly being used for passive authentication, often as an additional layer of security. As noted above, this involves measuring and tracking patterns in how an individual moves, behaves, or uses something physically. This can range from:

• How a person holds and moves a device such as a mobile phone
• How a person toggles between fields in an online application
• How a person types

One-to-Many Biometric Systems

A second type of biometric system is a one-to-many (1:N) system, often used for identifying individuals. This involves comparing an unknown person’s biometric characteristic to other characteristics of the same type in a database (for example, the person’s fingerprint against other fingerprints in a database). 

One-to-many systems aim to produce a match and thereby potentially identify that person. However, a match is not always guaranteed, as that individual’s biometric information may or may not be contained in the database. Typically, with 1:N systems, the system generates a shortlist of potential matches for manual adjudication.

Decentralized Biometrics for Enhanced Security and Privacy

At Anonybit, our decentralized biometrics system design helps companies prevent data breaches and account takeover fraud. With a decentralized biometrics solution, companies can enable passwordless login, wire verification, step-up authentication, and help desk authentication. We aim to protect companies from data breaches, account takeovers, and synthetic identity fraud.

To achieve this goal, we offer security solutions such as:

• Secure storage of biometrics and PII data
• Support for the entire user lifecycle
• 1:1 biometric authentication and 1:N biometric matching to prevent duplicates, synthetics, and blocklisted identities 

Anonybit eliminates the tradeoffs between privacy and security. Prevent data breaches, enable strong authentication to eliminate account takeovers, and enhance the user experience across the enterprise using Anonybit. 

Book a free demo today to learn more about our integrated identity management platform.

Common Biometrics Privacy Concerns

Like many other technologies, biometrics can pose challenges to privacy. It is important to note, however, that despite many claims to the contrary, biometrics are not incompatible with privacy; how systems are designed and used determines the extent to which biometrics enhance or infringe upon people’s privacy. Some privacy issues that may arise from using biometrics are listed next.

Function Creep

Function creep occurs when information is used for a different purpose than collected. This becomes a concern when secondary use is not communicated to the individual when providing information.

For example, an organization may collect an employee’s facial biometric information for authentication purposes, such as to enable access to a building. That information may then be used for an unrelated secondary purpose, such as monitoring that employee’s start and finish times.

Covert Collection

Another privacy risk is the covert or passive collection of individual biometric information without their consent, participation, or knowledge. Facial biometric information, for example, can be captured from photographs that individuals do not know are being taken, and latent fingerprints can be lifted to collect biometric information long after an individual has made contact with a hard surface.

This risk increases as technologies become more advanced and effective at capturing biometric information inconspicuously or from a distance.

Consent

Biometrics also challenge the notion of consent. In the context of information privacy, consent is traditionally based on a transactional model—that is, individuals can make choices about their personal information, such as what information is collected and when and how it is used.

If biometric information is collected covertly or passively, individuals may be unable to provide consent or exercise control over what biometric information is collected or how it is used. The ability to provide meaningful consent is also restricted where individuals are required to participate in a biometric system; for example, it is used as a security measure to verify employees in a workplace environment. There may also be some legal restrictions on such systems besides privacy concerns. When a user does not consent to their biometrics being captured, an alternative authentication method needs to be available.

Related Reading

• Biometric Authentication Methods
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• Biometrics In Healthcare
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• Biometric Data GDPR

5 Steps To Address Biometric Data Privacy Concerns

1. Implement Privacy by Design

Organizations must embed data privacy principles at every stage of technology development, including access controls and security audits. Privacy should be integral to the system architecture to protect consumer data. Organizations can build trust with consumers and stay ahead of potential threats by prioritizing privacy from the beginning of the development process.

2. Obtain Consent Through Transparency

Transparency is key in biometric data collection, storage, and use. Organizations should be open and honest with individuals about how their data is being used, stored, and protected. Consent should be freely given, specific, and informed, allowing individuals to make educated decisions about sharing their biometric data.

3. Define Specific Parameters of Use

Limiting biometric usage to specific, legitimate purposes is crucial. Organizations should communicate these purposes clearly to individuals and only collect the necessary data. Organizations should minimize data retention periods and safely delete or anonymize data when no longer needed to reduce the risk of data breaches and misuse.

4. Give Users Access and Control

Individuals should have access to and control their biometric data, allowing them to delete or restrict its use. Giving users granular control over their data empowers them to decide how their information is shared and used. Organizations should also make it easy for individuals to withdraw consent if they choose to do so.

5. Keep Up with the Latest Regulations

Regular privacy and security audits help organizations ensure compliance with relevant data protection regulations. The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is the most common framework that organizations must adhere to when handling biometric data. 

Organizations should stay informed about emerging regulations to continuously meet data privacy standards. By staying ahead of regulatory changes, organizations can protect consumer data and maintain compliance with legal requirements.

Laws Helping Address Biometrics Privacy Concerns

Biometric privacy concerns have garnered increased attention in recent years, prompting the development of laws and regulations to safeguard individuals’ biometric data. 

Biometric Data Privacy in the US

In the United States, while there are no federal laws specifically protecting biometric data, some states have taken steps to regulate the collection and use of biometric information. For example, Illinois has enacted legislation that requires the collection of biometric data to be governed by a written policy and subject to informed consent. On the other hand, New York and many other states mandate that any data breach involving biometric information must be reported to state authorities.

EU Approach to Biometric Data Protection

A notable example of comprehensive data protection laws addressing the handling of biometric data is the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in the European Union. Under the GDPR, strict regulations are in place to control the collection and handling of personal data, including biometric data. 

The GDPR also ensures that companies inform consumers about how they use their data and any breaches that may have occurred. Failure to comply with these regulations can result in bigger fines, as seen in improper processing of biometric data, in which the EU has imposed significant penalties on companies.

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• Future of Biometrics

Book A Free Demo To Learn More About Our Integrated Identity Management Platform

At Anonybit, we help companies prevent data breaches and account takeover fraud with our decentralized biometrics technology. With our decentralized biometrics framework, companies can enable passwordless login, wire verification, step-up authentication, help desk authentication, and more. 

Comprehensive Security Solutions for Companies

We aim to protect companies from data breaches, account takeovers, synthetic identity on the rise, privacy regulations, and digital transformation. To achieve this goal, we offer security solutions such as:

• Secure storage of biometrics and PII data
• Support for the entire user lifecycle
• 1:1 authentication and 1:N matching for lookups and deduplication

Balancing Privacy and Security with Anonybit’s Integrated Platform

Anonybit eliminates the tradeoffs between privacy and security. Prevent data breaches, reduce account takeover fraud, and enhance the user experience across the enterprise using Anonybit. Book a free demo today to learn more about our integrated identity management platform.