Bahrain is among the top five countries globally for protecting biometric data, according to a new research.
Bahrain scored 20/31 making it the third most considered in terms of collection, storage and use of biometric data. Turkmenistan with a score of 25/31 tops the list, while China, scoring 2/31 is the worst country for biometric data collection and use, said the Comparitech survey.
The lower the score, the more biometric data is collected and used. The countries that received the lowest scores overall showed a lack of regard for the privacy of people’s biometric data. Through the collection, use, and storage of biometric data, these countries use biometrics to a severe and invasive extent, it said.
From passport photos to accessing bank accounts with fingerprints, the use of biometrics is growing at an exponential rate. And while using your fingerprint may be easier than typing in a password, just how far is too far when it comes to biometric use, and what’s happening to your biometric data once it’s collected, especially where governments are concerned?
Comparitech updated its biometric data study to include 96 countries and found out where biometrics are being taken, what they’re being taken for, and how they’re being stored, while also exploring the latest biometric updates amid the ongoing pandemic.
There is huge scope for biometric data collection, so it has identified eight key areas that apply to most countries (so as to offer a fair country-by-country comparison and to ensure the data is available). Each country has been scored out of 31, with low scores indicating extensive and invasive use of biometrics and/or surveillance and a high score demonstrating better restrictions and regulations regarding biometric use and surveillance.
Then, to see how current biometric use for Covid-19 purposes affects a country’s score, it has deducted a point for each area biometrics have been introduced as an emergency control measure (six areas in total).
While China topping the list perhaps doesn’t come as too much of a surprise, residents of (and travelers to) other countries may be surprised and concerned at the extent of biometric information that is being collected on them and what is happening to it afterward, says Comparitech study.
Key findings
* Many countries collect travellers’ biometric data, often through visas or biometric checks at airports
* The vast majority of countries use biometrics for bank accounts, e.g. fingerprints to access online app data and/or to confirm identities within the banks themselves
* Despite many countries recognising biometric data as sensitive, increased biometric use is widely accepted
* Facial recognition CCTV is being implemented in a large number of countries or at least being tested
* EU countries scored better overall than non-EU countries due to GDPR regulations protecting the use of biometrics in the workplace (to some extent)
* Many of the top-scoring countries don’t necessarily receive their high scores for “best practices” but because they are developing nations that haven’t moved toward technology-based solutions in certain areas.