The Dangers of a Biometric Future
Governments and businesses are compiling massive biometric databases. What could possibly go wrong?
Biometric data is information at its most sensitive. Not only do health and physical characteristics carry with them the very concept of our personhood and humanity, they are also often immutable and, therefore, permanently identify us. I can change my email address or my password, and I can even get a new legal name if I want to, but my fingerprints and my retina will never change. Once someone gains access to that information, they not only have access to something that confirms my identity, they have access to my identity itself. It’s why, when we think about dystopian futures, biometric data almost always makes an appearance.
Laws surrounding the safe collection, use, and transfer of biometric data are not new: Illinois had one as far back as 2008, when it passed the Biometric Information Protection Act, or BIPA. The law, like many that would follow it, aimed at providing individuals with the tools necessary to understand the consequences of giving away their biometric data. The premise is that, as long as they understand both that a company is collecting their biometric data and that this data is extremely sensitive, individual data subjects will be more cautious about providing their…
