The Biometrics Institute has issued a renewed call for consistent standards governing the use of facial recognition technology (FRT) across both public and private sectors, following a recent “On the Pulse” member conversation that brought together experts, policymakers, and industry leaders.
The discussion, titled Facial Recognition in Retail, Clubs, Stadiums, and Policing – Should the Same Standards Apply?, built upon the Institute’s earlier report, Members’ Viewpoints: The Use of Facial Recognition in Policing. It examined the growing deployment of live facial recognition (LFR) in publicly accessible areas such as shopping centers, entertainment venues, and law enforcement, and the increasing concern from citizens over how their biometric data is being collected, stored, and used.
The session featured key contributions from members of the Institute’s Expert and Advisory Groups, including NEC Australia’s Jason Zhou, Privacy Expert Group head Terry Aulich, and Advisory Council member Mick O’Connell. Together, they raised critical concerns over consent, transparency, and oversight—especially in environments where individuals may not be aware that facial recognition systems are in use.
“We need firm guidance on how to achieve a successful and positive implementation that will stand up to third party scrutiny,” said Isabelle Moeller, CEO of the Biometrics Institute. “When is the use proportionate and how do you explain to citizens how their data is managed?”
A central theme of the meeting was the need for stronger privacy frameworks and mandatory, independent testing—not only of the technical performance of FRT systems but also of the broader infrastructure and policies surrounding their deployment. Participants pointed to inconsistencies in Privacy Impact Assessment practices across jurisdictions and the absence of globally recognized standards.
The discussion also highlighted known challenges such as gender and racial bias in facial recognition, the lack of avenues for redress in cases of misidentification, and the legal risks posed by insufficient regulation. Commercial applications of FRT—for example, in retail settings for loss prevention or in clubs and stadiums for access control—were identified as especially problematic, given the blurred lines around customer consent and data handling.
This latest initiative follows a string of high-profile efforts by the Institute to promote responsible biometric practices. The Biometrics Institute recently held another “On the Pulse” discussion focused on multimodal biometric solutions for defending against deepfakes. That event underscored the need to layer multiple biometric modalities to combat increasingly sophisticated digital threats.
Earlier this year, the Institute also released a report urging a unified policy approach to the use of facial recognition by UK police forces. The report stressed the importance of public trust and recommended centralized regulatory oversight to prevent inconsistent practices across jurisdictions.
Looking ahead, the Institute plans to continue its policy discussions at the upcoming Asia Pacific Conference in Sydney this May and its Congress in London in October. These events will further explore the application of the Institute’s “Three Laws of Biometrics”—policy before process and technology, proving the need, and applying proportionality—as guiding principles for shaping responsible and effective biometric governance.
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April 9, 2025 – by Cass Kennedy
