Biometric Data

On July 15, 2021, the Belgian Supervisory Authority (“SA”) released a 40-page draft recommendation on the use of biometric data and launched a public consultation to solicit feedback about it.

Most notably, the SA points out that there is no valid legal basis other than explicit consent (with all the GDPR limitations attached to it) that would enable the processing of biometric data for authentication purposes (e.g., security), because Belgian lawmakers failed to adopt the required national legislation to supplement the GDPR (specifically, to underpin the public interest exception found in Art. 9(2)(g) GDPR for processing sensitive personal data).  The SA considers this outcome a departure from the rules that applied prior to the GDPR, and will therefore allow a one-year grace period to give controllers and lawmakers sufficient time to address the issue.Continue Reading Belgian Supervisory Authority Launches Public Consultation on the Use of Biometric Data

On October 9, 2020, the French Supervisory Authority (“CNIL”) issued guidance on the use of facial recognition technology for identity checks at airports (available here, in French).  The CNIL indicates that it has issued this guidance in response to a request from several operators and service providers of airports in France who are planning to deploy this technology on an experimental basis.  In this blog post, we summarize the main principles that the CNIL says airports should observe when deploying biometric technology.
Continue Reading French Supervisory Authority Releases Strict Guidance on the Use of Facial Recognition Technology at Airports

On April 28, 2020, the Dutch Supervisory Authority (“Dutch SA”) announced its decision to impose a fine of €725,000 on a company for unlawfully processing the biometric data of its employees.

In 2018, the company concerned installed an access and time management system that collected and processed biometric templates of employees’ fingerprints.  This initiative came about following indications of fraudulent use of the company’s existing badge-based time management system.  After installation, the company’s old system co-existed with the new system, and employees were free to choose the method by which to sign in to work.  One of the employees subsequently filed a complaint with the Dutch SA, which led to this investigation.Continue Reading Dutch Supervisory Authority Fines Company for Processing Biometric Data of Employees

On February 12, 2020, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) announced a plan to create a new Data Protection Agency through her proposed legislation, the Data Protection Act of 2020 (S.3300).

Under the proposal, the new agency would replace the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) as the “privacy cop on the beat.”  As such, the FTC’s current authority in the privacy space—including its ability to draft guidelines, conduct studies, and issue implementing regulations for certain federal privacy laws, would be transferred to the new agency.

As opposed to the Online Privacy Act, a bill introduced by Representatives Anna Eshoo (D-CA-18) and Zoe Lofgren (D-CA-19) that also would create a new privacy agency, Sen. Gillibrand’s bill would not create a new omnibus federal privacy law.  Instead, it is focused on the creation of the Data Protection Agency and its rulemaking authority.  However, various aspects of the new agency’s authority provide valuable insights into what privacy regulation at the federal level might look like under the bill.
Continue Reading Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand Proposes New Digital Privacy Agency

On November 15, 2019, the French Supervisory Authority (“CNIL”) published guidance on the use of facial recognition. The guidance is primarily directed at public authorities in France that want to experiment with facial recognition.

The guidance warns that this technology risks leading to biased results because the algorithms used are not 100% reliable and the

On December 29, 2018, the Northern District of Illinois dismissed a case brought against Google under the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act, 740 ILCS 14/1 et seq. (“BIPA”) on standing grounds. Plaintiffs, Lindabeth Rivera and Joseph Weiss, alleged that Google violated BIPA by failing to obtain informed consent from users prior to collecting, storing, and utilizing their biometric information to create “face-geometry scans” from photos uploaded on Google Photos.
Continue Reading Federal Court Dismisses Illinois BIPA Suit for Lack of Standing