Biometric data in the age of algorithms
Durham University research has advised and held to account UK public authorities in their implementation of algorithmic biometric technologies. The research has played a direct role in establishing accountability for the ethical considerations of the use of algorithmic biometric technologies in public spaces.
Issue
Novel forms of algorithmic processing and analysis have important social and political consequences because of how they assemble and use data. Public accountability and scrutiny of algorithmic biometrics is constrained by the complexity of computer models used to analyse the data. Existing societal mechanisms – data protection, privacy, transparency – have not kept pace with this technological transformation.
Approach
Research led by Durham University geographers identified the novel forms of algorithmic analysis of biometric data deployed for security, policing, and border control, and generated substantive empirical evidence of the processes of algorithmic biometrics, extending from the design and training of algorithmic models to their deployment by frontline authorities.
The research also anticipated and tracked how new forms of biometric analysis, such as facial recognition and gait recognition, were beginning to be used in the securing of public space.
Impact
A key impact of the work has been to advise and hold to account the UK public authorities who design, implement, and deploy algorithmic biometric technologies.
Evidence and testimony has been provided to three separate bodies, including the Ministry of Justice, helping to establish the need for new forms of public accountability. In response to the governance gap in biometric data and technologies identified, the home office established a non-departmental advisory body – the Biometrics and Forensics Ethics Group – the only formally accountable ethics committee within the Home Office.
More information:
Institution: Durham University
Researchers: Professor Louise Amoore, Dr Volha Piotukh
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How to cite
Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) (2023) Biometric data in the age of algorithms. Available at https://rgs.org/biometricdata Last accessed on: <date>