AI Now Explores Biometric Legal Landscape in New Compendium of Case Studies

AI Now has published a new Compendium that evaluates the efficacy of different biometrics regulations. The Compendium was put together in an effort to guide future legislation as biometric technologies become more prevalent moving forward.

The Compendium consists of eight case studies, each of which represents a different approach to biometric technology and privacy law. It examines landmark attempts at regulation like the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA) in Illinois, as well as the evolution of less regulated biometric programs in India, Australia, and the United Kingdom. It also looks at the International Committee of the Red Cross’ (ICRC) decision to avoid the creation of biometric databases, and at grassroots efforts to block the use of facial recognition in various municipalities in the United States.

In doing so, the Compendium seeks to explain why some opposition movements have been more effective than others. For example, why were citizens able to block the deployment of facial recognition in New York public schools, while the London Metropolitan Police went unimpeded as they installed a surveillance system with demonstrated flaws?

According to AI Now, the case studies should inform lawmakers’ approach to biometric technology, and give technology developers a better sense of the kinds of rules they should be prepared to encounter in the future. The organization has repeatedly called for more government oversight of AI technologies.

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September 21, 2020 – by Eric Weiss