GenKey ABIS Version 5.0 Complies with GDPR’s Data Deletion Requirement

GenKey has released an updated version of its ABIS biometric identification system. ABIS 5.0 gives customers the ability to delete biometric data from its system, which makes the platform compliant with Article 17 of the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Article 17 is colloquially referred to as the right to be forgotten, and it gives European citizens the right to have their biometric data deleted from a system upon request. With ABIS 5.0, GenKey customers will be able to carry out those requests while the system is still up and running and being used to process other individuals. GenKey notes that many systems rely on cached data for consistency, which makes the new system a difficult technical feat.

“We have always pursued privacy-respecting use of biometrics via our BioHASH product range, but have now expanded that to processing in data centers that run ABIS,” said GenKey R&D Executive Director and Data Protection Officer Alty van Luijt. “With an increasingly connected world, we deem it relevant to be able to permanently erase data from our systems. This amplifies GenKey’s commitment to data privacy and the provisions in the GDPR.”

Other features arriving with ABIS 5.0 include a new ABIS Connector, an improved ABIS Dashboard, and a web application that allows users to monitor matching statistics and the overall performance of the system. Users will also be able to retrieve BioHASH templates with a simple request.

GenKey ABIS 5.0 comes roughly a year and a half after version 4.0, which debuted in March of 2019. Since then, GenKey has enhanced the security of its BioHASH SDK and partnered with the World Bank to set up a biometric registration system for the government of Niger.

–

October 26, 2020 – by Eric Weiss