Biometric technology systems in schools: guidance

Biometric technologies

What is biometric technology?

4. Everyone has physical or behavioural characteristics that are unique to them and change little over time. Fingerprints are a well-known example and fingerprint details can be measured, analysed, and recorded for subsequent identification purposes. Other examples of characteristics that can be used in this way include retina and iris patterns, voice, facial shape, hand measurements and behavioural characteristics such as handwriting and typing patterns.

5. The term “biometric technology” encompasses the range of technologies used to measure, analyse, and record unique characteristics. This technology is generally used to support processes which require confirmation of identity. Typically, such processes involve:

• registration or authentication of identity (for example, the recording of a fingerprint as belonging to Jane Doe);
• allocation of entitlements to people who have registered (Jane Doe is registered and is therefore entitled to X);
• subsequent verification of identity (this person is indeed Jane Doe); and
• identification (this person is not in fact Jane Doe, but John Doe).

6. Biometric technology systems can record unique characteristics in two ways. The first is to record a complete image of a characteristic, for example, a fingerprint. The second is to take measurements that adequately capture the uniqueness of that characteristic (such as a fingerprint), without capturing the complete image. The second approach is expected to be used in schools where biometric technology systems are put in place. In relation to this approach, the manufacturers of such systems assert that the original image cannot be reconstructed from the obtained data. This means that it is not currently possible to recreate, for example, a pupil’s fingerprint or even the image of the fingerprint from what is in effect a line of code. This position may change as technologies develop. Accordingly, the security of biometric technology systems requires to be maintained whilst technology advances.

7. The data processed by biometric technology systems is referred to as “biometric data.” Under section 205 of the Data Protection Act 2018, biometric data means “personal data resulting from specific technical processing relating to the physical, physiological, or behavioural characteristics of an individual, which allows or confirms the unique identification of that individual, such as facial images or fingerprint data”.