The 3rd International Conference on Ethics and Policy of Biometrics and
International Data Sharing
RISE Conference Presentations
1. Nataša Pirc Musar, Information Commissioner of the Republic of Slovenia The Dangers of Electronic Traces: Data Protection Challenges Presented by New
Technologies
Natasa.Pirc@ip-rs.si
This presentation discusses the current difficulties in protecting our personal data given the
pervasive nature of modern digital technology. Although there are many obvious benefits to IT
developments, the risks may be just as great. Not only is IT development rapid, but the market is
flooded with inexpensive software and hardware capable of intruding on individuals’ privacy in a
completely undetectable manner. How do we protect the information we post on the Internet, or
the data that gets stored when we pass through an electronic road toll, or the phone conversations
we make from our places of employment? New legislation attempts to protect our privacy, though it
always lags behind IT development, making its mission difficult.
2. Benedicte Havelange, European Data Protection Supervisor Data Protection in Post Lisbon EU
benedicte.havelange@edps.europa.eu
This presentation discusses data protection in the EU area of freedom, security and justice under the
Lisbon Treaty. After reviewing the role of the European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS), several
outstanding issues involved in biometrics and data protection are presented, including the policy
choices that must be made and the inherent risk of exclusion. Changes to the Lisbon Treaty are also
discussed, in light of the fundamental rights to data protection.
3. John Kropf, Deputy Chief Privacy Officer, Department of Homeland Security, USA The Crossroads of Privacy and Biometrics
This presentation discusses the concept of privacy and its importance to biometrics. After
offering an overview of the U.S. privacy framework, Mr. Kropf then outlines the goals of
the Privacy Act of 1974 and subsequent US-VISIT biometric entry-exit system. Finally, the
importance of biometrics and the critical role they play in protecting citizens are
emphasized.
4. Alessandro Acquisti, Carnegie Mellon University, USA Of Frogs and Herds: Behavioral Economics, Malleable Privacy Valuations, and Contextdependent Willingness to Divulge Personal Information
acquisti@andrew.cmu.edu
This presentation discusses the behavioral economics related to privacy and the public
revelation of personal data. Given the dichotomy between personal attitudes about
privacy versus actual behavior (e.g., posting personal information on the Internet for all to
see), the question is posed whether policy makers should act on behalf of protecting the
privacy rights of citizens. The results of a study performed by Carnegie Mellon suggests
that methods of “soft paternalism” and “nudging privacy” may be best for increasing
individual and societal welfare related to privacy concerns.
5. Tim Parker, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Are We Protected? The Adequacy of Existing Legal Frameworks for Protecting Privacy in
the Biometric Age
This presentation discusses the adequacy of existing legal frameworks for protecting privacy in the
Biometric Age. Article 17 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (1966) is outlined
in regards to the rights of privacy. The privacy impact of biometric data usage is then considered by
looking closely at the Hong Kong ID card system. Finally, the current and predicted future state of
data privacy in the People’s Republic of China is discussed.
6. Haricharan Rengamani*, Ponnurangam Kumaraguru^, Rajarishi Chakraborty*, H. Raghav Rao* *SUNY Buffalo, ^IIIT Delhi
The Unique Identification Number Project: Challenges and Recommendations
Ponnurangam Kumaraguru – pk@iiitd.ac.in
DR. H.R.Rao - mgmtrao@buffalo.edu
This presentation discusses the challenges to India’s Unique Identification Number (UID)
project and presents several recommendations to facilitate the implementation of the
program. The U.S. Social Security Number program is outlined, and the suggestion is made
that it has become a defacto national ID number in recent years. The National ID program
in the UK and other European countries are also presented, followed by a discussion of
the privacy-related aspects of biometric technologies. The presentation closes with a list
of recommendations that may be made to increase public awareness about the UID
program in India, facilitate enrollment and handling, and amend the legal system for its
implementation.
7. Chi-Shing Chen, National ChengChi University, Taiwan Biometrics Governance: H1N1 as a Case Study
cschen@nccu.edu.tw
This presentation discusses the governance of biometrics, using the recent H1N1 outbreak
as a case study. Biometrics is defined as a method for uniquely recognizing humans based
upon one or more intrinsic physical or behavioral traits. As with any technology, there are
both pros and cons to its application. It may be convenient and efficient, but risks to
privacy and security may be exposed. The decision as to whether or not govern biometrics
is not generally answered by a simple yes/no, but instead must take into account each
individual application and the procedure to be imposed. This presentation looks at the
issues involved in applying biometrics to the H1N1 outbreak.
8. Stephen Mak, Deputy Government Chief Information Officer, Hong Kong Information, Security and Privacy
smak@ogcio.gov.hk
This presentation discusses the critical need for privacy and ethical considerations in
response to the surging rate of personal information being generated and collected in our
e-society. Biometrics is one such form of information for which misuse can cause serious
problems to personal data privacy. Given the changes in technology innovation, the scope
of ethical considerations, policies and regulations need to be addressed. The presentation
lists several initiatives for enhancing ethical values for an e-society in the HKSAR, as well as
discusses how to more effectively use/deploy biometrics.
9. Margit Sutrop, University of Tartu, Estonia Ethical Issues in Governing Biometric Technologies - How to Maintain Public Trust?
margit.sutrop@ut.ee
This presentation deals with the ethical considerations raised by the collection, storage
and use of biometric data. Comparisons are drawn with human genetic databases. It
shows that besides ethical assessment of new technologies, it is also interesting to see
how the advancement of these technologies has posed challenges to existing ethical
frameworks, putting collective values and public interests above individual rights. The
comparison of biometric databases with medical research oriented genetic databases
shows that public interest may be differently constructed: while genetic databases
projects create a discourse of hope, biometric databases are surrounded by a discourse of
threat. What both have in common is the imbalanced discussion of benefits and risks. The
lack of knowledge and understanding of possible benefits and drawbacks of new
technologies makes it difficult to build and maintain authentic public trust, which is of
crucial importance for good ethical governance of databases.
10. Xiaomei Zhai, Center for Bioethics, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, P. R.
China The Status Quo and Ethical Governance in Biometric in Mainland China
This presentation discusses the current state of ethical governance of biometric data in
Mainland China. Biometric technologies are the most important innovation in the IT
industry for the coming years. In China, biometric applications include identifying Olympic
Game fans, airport passengers, and play a significant role in border crossing control. But
the challenges to further implementing the technology are many, considering there are no
national standards yet for biometrics, no public discussions on ethics or governance of the
technology, and a lack of privacy laws in China. The ethical concerns that must be
considered in regards to collecting biometric data include privacy loss, stigmatization and
discrimination, thievery, and identity loss. Any good governing ethical framework must
consider these concerns, as well as the nine fundamental principles related to biometrics
outlined in this presentation.
11. Blair Stewart, Assistant Commissioner Office of the Privacy Commissioner, New Zealand The International Standards on the Protection of Personal Data and Privacy
Blair.Stewart@privacy.org.nz
This presentation discusses biometrics and the Madrid Resolution on international standards on the
protection of personal data and privacy. In recent years, biometric technology has been embraced
and deployed with proven success. However, there is still a degree of security debate and
controversy surrounding use of the technology. Several applications are discussed in this regard,
including border control systems and the SmartGate New Zealand and Australian passport control
system. And while the Madrid Resolution, approved in 2009, does not include any explicit rules on
biometric technology use, it may be able to synthesize other existing privacy proposals. The
presentation concludes with a discussion of why this is so based on who has adopted the resolution,
why it was adopted, and what it says.
12. Dr. Elazar Zadok, Former Director, Identification and Forensic Science Division, Israel Legislative and Ethical Questions Regarding Forensic 'Biometric' Databases
zadok@police.gov.il
This presentation provides an overview of forensic science, and discusses the legislative
and ethical issues concerning DNA and other forensic “biometric” databases. Differences
between DNA data and forensic data are distinguished, followed by a detailed discussion
of the legal and ethical issues concerning the information maintained in each type of
database. The UK National DNA database is examined to illustrate the achievements and
expenses in a real world application. A second illustration considers the tradeoffs between
the welfare of society versus the privacy rights of the individual when governments
maintain DNA databases.
13. Dr. Raymond Wong and Mr. Wilfred Tan ABCs of Biometrics
raymondwongwm@netvigator.com
This presentation discusses the controversial issues involved in using biometric technology
to determine personal identity and identification. It questions whether any person’s
identity can be considered truly unique, and if the data attempting to identify a person
can be considered trustworthy. Government applications of biometric technology include
passport and travel document control, but false identity concerns still exist. Final
presentation topics include possible solutions to the concerns.
14. Ho Chang, BioID AG, Switzerland –
Privacy and Data Protection for Social Networks
H.Chang@bioid.com
This presentation discusses the problems inherent in protecting privacy and data when
using online social networks – problems which affect both users and their social
networking service providers. There have been several highly publicized incidents in which
personal data posted to a social networking site resulted in life threatening and/or
criminal actions. But who is ultimately responsible – the users, the service providers, or
the government? This presentation introduces the concept of a biometric “Social ID” as a
possible framework for authenticating social networking users in an attempt to protect
their privacy and personal data.
15. Nicolas Delvaux –
Protected Biometrics for Identity Trust
nicolas.delvaux@sagem.com
This presentation considers biometric technology as one of the factors to determine
trustworthy identity. The passport system is one such discussed case study, as there are
several challenging issues inherent in the current passport system that the biometricbased ICAO 9303 standard may resolve by linking a document to the document holder.
However, the use of biometric technology may also invite privacy and security concerns,
including ID fraud, the misuse of collected data, and database theft. The presentation
stresses that identity is a major value in society and must be protected by suggested
technical and legal approaches.