Biometrics

WPF advises NIST regarding synthetic content and data governance

WPF filed comments with the US National Institute of Standards and Technology regarding its draft governance plan regarding synthetic content. WPF’s comments focused on 7 recommendationsWPF’s comments focused on 7 recommendations ranging from technical to policy issues. One overarching recommendation was that NIST ensure that human rights were attended to in all of its plans. Additional recommendations include requesting that NIST attend to the risks of digital exhaust in metadata, ensure that biometric data is included in the guidance, among other recommendations.

Initial Analysis of the new U.S. governance for Federal Agency use of Artificial Intelligence, including biometrics

Today the Biden-Harris Administration published a Memorandum that sets forth how U.S. Federal Agencies and Executive Departments will govern their use of Artificial Intelligence. The OMB memorandum provides an extensive and in some ways surprising articulation of emergent guardrails around modern AI. There are many points of interest to discuss, but the most striking includes the thread of biometrics systems guidance throughout the memorandum and continuing on in the White House Fact Sheet and associated materials. Additionally, the articulation of minimum practices for safety -impacting and rights- impacting AI will likely become important touch points in regulatory discussions in the U.S. and elsewhere. The guidance represents a significant policy shift for the U.S. Federal government, particularly around biometrics.

WPF Executive Director to teach CMU course on Digital Identity in Rwanda, Africa

WPF’s Pam Dixon will be in Kigali, Rwanda to be the lead instructor on a course on digital identity ecosystems as a lecturer for Carnegie Mellon University, as part of their CEE-TP Courses for IT and policy in the developing world. This course, Identity Ecosystems and Digital Transformation: the key technical, legal, and policy considerations

WPF Executive Director to serve as Senior Rapporteur for ID4Africa workshops regarding policy and regulatory challenges for digital identity and privacy and data protection in ID systems

The World Privacy Forum is pleased to announce Executive Director Pam Dixon has been invited to serve as the Senior Special Rapporteur for two workshops at the 2023 ID4Africa Annual General Meeting which will take place in Nairobi, Kenya 23-25 May. ID4Africa is regarded as the single most important gathering of identity experts and authorities in the world. The focus of Dixon’s rapporteur work will include policy and regulatory challenges for digital identity: the African perspective (Workshop 2), and privacy and data protection in identity systems (Workshop 4)…

Identity ecosystems are a central aspect of global digitalization; the principle of Do No Harm must be a policy priority and commitment

Identity is a data-rich resource that acts as a key to connect all levels of emerging digital ecosystems. All forms of ID carry some risk, but digital forms of ID, or “dematerialized ID,” cuts across all sectors and links copious data about individuals, their behaviors, financial status, associates, and potentially even political and religious views. Over time, distinct patterns emerge from the linked data and create new kinds of risks for individuals and groups. As the world becomes increasingly and intensely digitalized, we can expect challenges in the identity space to grow apace unless proactive attention is given to identifying and mitigating the current and future risks.