Biometric Identity

Definition

Biometric Identity examines identity verification using physical or physiological characteristics within the broader domain of the use of biometric, genomic, physiological and behavioural characteristics to establish or infer identity.

Why this matters

Failures concerning identity verification using physical or physiological characteristics can cause physical or psychological harm, loss of function, privacy invasion, identity compromise, exclusion, coercion or irreversible impact on human agency.

Research questions

Under which conditions can identity verification using physical or physiological characteristics be delivered, measured or protected reliably, and how do outcomes vary by person, device, duration, context and governance controls?

Hypotheses

A transparent, safety-bounded and person-centred approach to biometric identity, combining validated measurement, informed consent, privacy and security controls, human oversight and longitudinal monitoring, will improve benefit–risk outcomes compared with opaque or technology-centred approaches.

Proposed methods

biometric performance testing; spoof and liveness testing; longitudinal drift analysis; subgroup fairness analysis; multimodal comparison; privacy and security assessment; expert and affected-user review; reproducibility testing; methods adapted specifically to Biometric Identity

Stakeholders and beneficiaries

individuals; identity providers; governments; banks; employers; border agencies; privacy regulators; biometric vendors; civil society