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Operator Special Interest Group

Vision

Biometrics has found its way to deployment in official, public and private applications ranging from border control to access control. Despite this increasingly widespread use of biometrics, it seems that organizations (governments and non-commercial organisations) are often ‘ reinventing the wheel’ in the application of biometrics. Organizations are struggling with how and in what way biometrics should be applied.

European legislation is complex and refers to underlying or adjacent to developed standards. Governments/organizations look for the use of biometrics taking into account the possibilities of legal requirements.

Biometrics (in particular facial recognition and fingerprint recognition) technology is getting better and better and there is a growing desire for efficient applications in daily practice. However, its use is difficult. Not only in application, but especially in communicating about the use and fitting within legislation. Governments, in particular, must be concerned about privacy protection for citizens. In what way will this take place? What are the implications on the use of algoritms, what is the ethical effect on the use of biometrics and how can we gain profit of the use of biometrics with all this in mind.

The EAB Operaters SIG believe that cooperation between governments and non-commercial organizations is important in order to achieve a safe, privacy-protective application of biometrics. Here it is important to share daily experiences, identify bottlenecks, interpret legislative developments and the way in which local communication takes place.

Mission

The mission of EAB Operator is:

  • Create a network between national agencies
  • Organise work sessions with participants to share knowledge and learn from each other
  • Communicate on best practices
  • Analyse legislation on biometrics
  • Update on standards

Chairpersons of the Operator SIG:

  • Dinusha Frings, Citizen ID
  • Gert Jan De Nijs, RDW, Netherlands Vehicle Authority

Further information

For further information you can contact:
Email: operator-sig-chair@eab.org