Biometric Identification, Law And Ethics

Description

This book undertakes a multifaceted and integrated examination of biometric identification, including the current state of the technology, how it is being used, the key ethical issues, and the implications for law and regulation. The five chapters examine the main forms of contemporary biometrics–fingerprint recognition, facial recognition and DNA identification– as well the integration of biometric data with other forms of personal data, analyses key ethical concepts in play, including privacy, individual autonomy, collective responsibility, and joint ownership rights, and proposes a raft of principles to guide the regulation of biometrics in liberal democracies. Biometric identification technology is developing rapidly and being implemented more widely, along with other forms of information technology. As products, services and communication moves online, digital identity and security is becoming more important. Biometric identification facilitates this transition. Citizens now use biometrics to access a smartphone or obtain a passport; law enforcement agencies use biometrics in association with CCTV to identify a terrorist in a crowd, or identify a suspect via their fingerprints or DNA; and companies use biometrics to identify their customers and employees. In some cases the use of biometrics is governed by law, in others the technology has developed and been implemented so quickly that, perhaps because it has been viewed as a valuable security enhancement, laws regulating its use have often not been updated to reflect new applications. However, the technology associated with biometrics raises significant ethical problems, including in relation to individual privacy, ownership of biometric data, dual use and, more generally, as is illustrated by the increasing use of biometrics in authoritarian states such as China, the potential for unregulated biometrics to undermine fundamental principles of liberal democracy. Resolving these ethical problems is a vital step towards more effective regulation. Acknowledgement Contents About the Authors Chapter 1: The Rise of Biometric Identification: Fingerprints and Applied Ethics 1.1 Overview of Biometric Identification 1.2 The First Biometric: Fingerprint Identification 1.3 Applied Ethics 1.4 Collective Moral Responsibility 1.5 Fingerprinting: Key Ethical Issues 1.6 Conclusion References Chapter 2: Facial Recognition and Privacy Rights 2.1 Facial Recognition 2.1.1 Databases 2.1.2 CCTV Integration 2.1.3 Social Media Integration 2.2 Ethical Principles 2.2.1 Privacy 2.2.2 Security and Public Safety 2.3 Conclusion References Chapter 3: DNA Identification, Joint Rights and Collective Responsibility 3.1 DNA Identification 3.2 Legal Issues 3.3 Genomics and Forensic Genealogy 3.4 Ethical Analysis 3.4.1 Joint Rights to Genomic Data 3.4.2 Collective Moral Responsibility to Assist Law Enforcement 3.5 Conclusion References Chapter 4: Biometric and Non-biometric Integration: Dual Use Dilemmas 4.1 Data Systems and Integration 4.1.1 Metadata 4.1.2 Smartphone Applications 4.1.3 Social Media 4.2 Ethical Analysis 4.2.1 Dual Use Ethical Dilemmas 4.3 Conclusion References Chapter 5: The Future of Biometrics and Liberal Democracy 5.1 Future Biometrics 5.2 Biometric Futures 5.2.1 Social Credit Systems 5.2.2 Technology-Based Regulation 5.3 Liberal Democracy 5.4 Conclusion References Index