A majority of respondents to the Biometrics Institute’s annual Industry Survey said they believed COVID-19 would change the way biometrics were used and implemented.

The association polled 326 industry professionals across the world during May, finding that 60 per cent agreed that the Coronavirus marked a pivotal moment for biometrics, with technology suppliers most convinced (65 per cent) that this would be the case.

In its 11th year, the survey asked an open-ended question about how the use of biometrics would change as a result of pandemic, with the majority of responses referring to the likely move to contactless modalities, as well as the increased demand for remote use.

Linking biometrics with health data and the need for face recognition technology to be developed to deal with the use of masks were also mentioned.

Isabelle Moeller, Biometrics Institute chief executive, stated: "The introduction of COVID-19- related questions this year shows us what we have also found from our recent online meetings – that the virus is something of a game-changer for the industry.

"This month we’ll be launching our Good Practice Framework, a brand new good practice tool to guide our members through the process of implementing or reviewing biometric technology responsibly and ethically."

Among the Biometrics Institute members and industry professionals who completed the survey, it was generally agreed that any response to the pandemic should have human rights at the front of mind. There was however some recognition that there might be a need to sacrifice some degree of privacy moving forward.

Away from COVID-19, the view that privacy and data protection concerns are the leading factor restraining the market has been steadily rising over the last five years.

This year, these issues still topped the table and were mentioned by nearly two thirds of respondents (63 per cent), but had dipped slightly from last year. Misinformation, data sharing concerns and poor knowledge amongst decision makers followed.

Following a debate on the future of biometrics since last year’s survey, a new question asked what aspects of biometrics industry professionals thought concerned the public the most.

Linked databases leading to mass surveillance and misidentification topped the list, with a conclusive 89 per cent agreeing that properly educating the public about the benefits of biometrics is crucial for the future of the industry.

On the subject of law enforcement, 68 per cent agreed that use of biometrics should always be proportionate and time limited, with only 14 per cent disagreeing.

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