The Biometrics Institute reports that it’s awarded a contract to Lockstep Consulting for a feasibility study for a Biometrics Institute Trust Mark.
Isabelle Moeller, Chief Executive of the Biometrics Institute, says: “Privacy and building trust in biometric technologies has been top of the agenda for the Biometrics Institute since its foundation in October 2001. The Trust Mark shall give consumers confidence in the responsible use of an identity product or services. Creating consumer trust in why their biometric information is being collected and how it is handled, stored and potentially deleted is essential for the success of this industry.”
Terry Aulich, Head of the Biometric Institute’s Privacy Expert Group, says: “The feasibility study will provide a landscape scan and road map for implementing the Biometrics Institute Trust Mark. The Trust Mark will focus on privacy, it will be international, have strong governance, establish trust, give a practical benefit to members and be financially supportable.”
The report is to determine how a Biometrics Institute Trust Mark, which should be issued for a biometric product or services, will work.
Proposals for the feasibility study were submitted to an international reference panel and then the final decision was made by the Board of the Biometrics Institute which awarded the contract to Lockstep. Its MD Stephen Wilson said: “We’re delighted to be selected to help with this important industry initiative. A trust mark should help implementers and end users of biometrics have confidence in these technologies. It’s a credit to the Biometrics Institute that it has advanced this trust mark proposal.”
The institute says that it will conduct consultations with its members and stakeholders through the feasibility process which is envisaged to start in February and be completed in March 2015.
The Biometrics Institute is running a range of events during 2015 which all will include the topic of data protection and trust. They include the second Financial Services Seminar, on March 10 in London, the third Identities at the Borders and Future of Travel Seminar, April 21 and 22 at Schiphol, Amsterdam, the Asia-Pacific Conference 2015, May 27 and 28 in Sydney and Biometrics 2015: and Secure identity solutions, October 13 to 15 in London. A full event listing can be found at http://www.biometricsinstitute.org/events.php.
About the Biometrics Institute
It has 170 member organisations including government departments, financial services institutions, health service providers and vendors of biometric products and services. The institute has offices in Australia and the UK.
