The Biometrics Institute has announced its calendar of events for 2021 with a focus on educational events. As the biometrics community grapples with new solutions to evolving global challenges, making the right decisions in the right order has never been more important.

Biometrics Vulnerabilities Workshop

The international membership organisation – which celebrates its 20th birthday this year – kicks off with its acclaimed Biometrics Vulnerability Workshop on the 10 February 2021. This online event looks at risk management for vulnerabilities and standards, as well as certification and testing. The event is run by two Biometrics Institute heavyweights, Stephanie Schuckers, head of the Biometrics Institute Academic Research and Innovation Group. Joining her is Ted Dunstone, Biometrics Institute founder and head of its Security and Integrity Expert Group.

Global Good Practice Series

This will be followed by the first event in the institute’s new Global Good Practice Series on the 3 March 2021. The series – which will run throughout 2021 – will provide delegates with a methodology to put the Biometrics Institute Good Practice Framework into practical use.

The framework is a universal good practice tool which provides a structured pathway through the factors that may influence or constrain a biometric application. The Good Practice Series events will enable members to really understand how to use this detailed document. The first session will focus on biometrics and surveillance, a topic that has been heavily and publicly debated over the past two years. This event will look at different use cases and will attempt to demystify some of the confusion around biometrics and facial recognition technology. Experts presenting their different use cases include Joseph Courtesis, formerly of the NYPD, Naama Ben Zvi from the Israel National Cyber Directorate, Brenda Leong from the Future of Privacy Forum and Anne Russell from the UK Information Commissioner’s Office.

The next event in the series is planned for late April 2021 and will discuss digital onboarding and biometrics. How to remotely onboard customers is a topic that has swiftly risen to the top of the agenda since COVID-19 has prevented face-to-face customer interaction. The institute is due to release a good practice paper on this topic in February, outlining key principles for consideration when using biometrics in remote enrolment. It will look at particular areas of risk as flagged by the framework including questions about spoofing of a photo on a document and challenges with selfies.

The third event in the series is planned for late May 2021. By then delegates will have a good understanding of the framework and how different use cases highlight different areas that need to be addressed to mitigate risk. This event therefore will go through the priority themes as identified by the Biometrics Institute’s expert and sector groups. Delegates will have the opportunity to vote on the themes that are being presented and decide which topics should be covered as a matter of priority at the next event.

To stay agile in the way the institute responds to its members’ needs, the dates for the rest of the Good Practice Series will be finalised during February.

Annual ID@Borders and Future of Travel Conference

Alongside these educational events, the institute will hold its 10th ID@Borders Conference as a two-day online event on 20 and 27 April 2021. In true institute style, this event – with a theme of digital identity – offers delegates a trusted and unbiased platform for discussion as the travel sector faces its biggest challenges to date. It will bring together a diverse range of stakeholders and viewpoints from speakers including Tim Bouma from the Canadian Treasury Board Secretariat, Narjess Abdennebi from the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), Torsten Maus from Star Alliance, Krum Garkov from eu-LISA, Heidrun Holin from Lufthansa, Carolyn Pratley from the UK Home Office Biometrics (HOB) Programme, Philip MJ Graham from Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Charles Walton from Mastercard and Louise Cole from the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

Biometrics Institute Congress

The annual flagship event, The Biometrics Institute Congress is set to take place on the 20-21 October 2021 in London. The institute is closely monitoring how COVID-19 will impact this and other events and will determine as soon as possible whether the Congress, or part of it, will be taken online.

A key focus for the institute is to create a better understanding of biometrics, the opportunities, and crucially the limitations. This will provide anyone working with the technology with a better chance of building trust in its use. 

A full list of Biometrics Institute events can be found here. 

ENDS.

NOTES TO EDITORS:

About the Biometrics Institute

The Biometrics Institute is the independent and impartial international membership organisation for biometric users and other interested parties. It was established in 2001 to promote the responsible use of biometrics and has offices in London and Sydney.

With more than a thousand members from 240 membership organisations spread across 30 countries, it represents a global and diverse multi-stakeholder community. This includes banks, airlines, government agencies, biometric experts, privacy experts, suppliers and academics.

The Biometrics Institute connects the global biometrics community. It shares knowledge with its members and key stakeholders and most importantly, develops good-practices and thought leadership for the responsible and ethical use of biometrics.

For more information, please email Claire Fox Baron: clairefb@biometricsinstitute.org