Day 1 Abstracts and Presentations, Thursday 9 December 2010
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Dr. René von Schomberg, Project Officer, RISE Project, European Commission Research DG, Governance and Ethics Unit, Research on Ethics/Governance under the Science in Society Programme
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This presentation opens with a brief conceptual background to the European Commission’s Science in Society Programme and then moves on to discuss the relationship amongst law, ethics and policy. Dr. von Schomberg lists several examples to illustrate the “policy pull” of technology in society, with biometrics and the whole body imaging technology as examples. After discussing the implications for the governance of new technologies, Dr. von Schomberg concludes the presentation with a list of criteria for responsible innovation.
Mr. Peter Hustinx, European Data Protection Supervisor, Recent developments in EU data protection: stepping up to more comprehensive and more effective protection
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The aim of this presentation is to provide information about the most recent developments in EU data protection, specifically in regards to biometrics and ID technologies. The discussion opens with an overview of the European Commission’s Communication on a comprehensive approach to personal data protection in the European Union and lists the key priorities and specific objectives resulting from this Communication. Mr. Hustinx then lists the issues in support of the need for strong and effective data protection, as well as the need for reviewing legislation. The presentation concludes with a discussion of main points for a reformed framework to bring more legal certainty to the benefit of both data controllers and individuals, while at the same time ensuring the effectiveness of existing principles.
Prof. Emilio Mordini, Coordinator, Project RISE, Homeland Security, Biometric Identification & Personal Detection Ethics
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This presentation discusses the HIDE project which aims to launch a platform on ethics and governance of personal detection technologies and biometrics to address transnational (European) and international problems. After providing an overview of the RISE project’s consortium and structure, Mr. Mordini discusses the elements involved in “recognition,” including such key aspects such as detection, authentication, identification and screening. The presentation concludes with a discussion of why recognition is necessary to society, who needs it, and why certain activities need to be automatized.
Dr. Thomas Probst, Independent Centre for Privacy Protection Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel, Germany, German privacy and data protection principles on biometrics for passports and public administration
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Dr. Probst opens his presentation with an overview of the Independent Centre for Privacy Protection, after which he discusses the German policy changes related to biometrics that have taken place over the last ten years. He then covers the current use of biometrics on German passports, as well as how that biometric data is stored and ultimately used. The German eID card is also discussed in detail, particularly its authentication functionalities, the personal data stored, and the accessibility of that data. Dr. Probst concludes with a list of additional privacy-relevant design issues.
Ms. Els Kindt, K.U.Leuven, Interdisciplinary Centre for Law and ICT (ICRI), Biometric identity management: selected legal issues
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This presentation discusses several select legal issues concerning biometric identity management. The first issue pertains to qualification, or in other words, determining when biometric data qualifies under the general data protection legislation. A critical step in qualifying biometric data involves determining whether the data is personal or sensitive. The presentation discusses in more detail the topic of qualifying biometric data as sensitive data, and delves into the legal and ethical concerns of doing so. Ms. Kindt notes several ethical concerns of “using the human body as a barcode,” noting several privacy and identity risks. The presentation concludes with a discussion TURBINE, a research project that uses biometric in an attempt to develop innovative digital identity solutions.
Mr. Vinayak Godse, Director, Data Security Council of India, Data Security in E-Governance: Projects in India
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This presentation opens with an introduction to e-governance, outlining general objectives and the four stages required for its adoption. An overview of the current structure of e-governance in India is provided, as is a discussion of the future plans for expansion and increased services by year 2015. The Indian e-governance ecosystem is examined in further detail, highlighting areas of compromise and vulnerability. Mr. Vinayak then discusses the security and privacy frameworks of specific e-governance projects in India (UIDA, eSAFE, DSCI), and concludes his presentation with privacy recommendations from project RISE, a list of privacy technology for e-governance, and several legal directives for privacy, data protection and security
Mr. Alexey Khitrov, Strategic Development Director, Speech Technology Center, Voice Biometrics: Exciting capabilities of a new biometric modality
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This presentation discusses the exciting application of voice biometrics. It opens by listing many facts pertaining to voice and speech, illustrating how easily and accurately voice data can be collected. After listing elements of voice identification and verification, the presentation turns toward a more application-oriented discussion about how voice is being used in law enforcement and how it can be used in global biometrics. Several key challenges to voice analysis are presented, as is the current state of affairs of voice-related technology, and the nation-wide voice biometric platform in Mexico. The presentation concludes with a look at how the use of voice biometric systems can be expanded in the future.
Dr. Irma van der Ploeg, Infonomics & New Media, Zuyd University, Identity, Biometrics and Behaviour Predictability
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After defining the terms “identity” and “identification,” this presentation discusses the fundamental paradox inherent in identification in that it simultaneously pertains to both unicity/uniqueness and classification/sameness. Dr. van der Ploeg then discusses biometrics and classification in more detail, and differentiates “behavioural prediction” from “behavioural biometrics.” The presentation covers recent developments in biometrics, such as multimodality, distant sensing, and ‘under the skin’ biometrics. The EC-funded SAMURAI project is also discussed in detail in terms of the biometrics it employs. Dr. van der Ploeg concludes the presentation by listing several critical issues when using biometrics in behavioural prediction.
Mr. Ronald Huijgens, Director Biometric Technologies, Unisys, The challenge of building safe and reliable biometric systems
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This presentation begins with an overview of the Netherlands Biometric Forum, a foundation that promotes meaningful, safe and reliable use of biometrics, in which Unisys participates actively and where Mr. Huijgens is one of the board members. After outlining the uses and limitations of biometric technology and data, Mr. Huijgens concludes that biometrics are vulnerable to privacy and security concerns. He subsequently discusses why and when we need biometrics, and introduces the concept of “the fallacy of the wrong level” which occurs when biometric applications for small groups are applied to larger-scale systems. The presentation then discusses using biometrics to prevent identity fraud, but also considers the privacy implications of doing so. The presentation concludes with an outline of principles for safe and reliable biometric systems.
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