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About

Our Mission and background

The mission of the Institute is to promote the responsible, ethical and effective use of Biometrics and related technologies that respect the Institute’s ethical guidance as an independent and impartial international forum for biometric users and other interested parties.

In order to achieve this mission, the goals of the Biometrics Institute are:

  • To develop thought leadership and guidance for the responsible use of biometrics, using the input of experts
  • To facilitate knowledge transfer to members, prospects, key stakeholders and the public
  • To act as a connector for the global Biometrics community including users, suppliers, academics, regulators and privacy advocates

The Biometrics Institute was founded in 2001 and represents a unique multi-stakeholder community spreading across the globe including a large number of government agencies, banks, airlines, airports, biometric experts, privacy experts, regulators, suppliers and academics as well as international observers such as United Nations agencies, EU institutions and IGOs.

We provide an unbiased and independent platform for discussion bringing together different perspectives to provide a balanced viewpoint on biometrics.

  • Our Team
  • The Board
  • Experts & Sector Groups

History

  • Oct 11 2001

    11 October 2001

    Biometrics Institute founded in Australia with the Australian Taxation Office, Department of Home Affairs, Federal Police and Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade among its first members

  • Mar 01 2002

    March 2002

    First Biometrics Institute event, in Sydney, attracts 120 delegates

  • May 01 2002

    May 2002

    Isabelle Moeller is appointed manager of the Biometrics Institute

  • Sep 01 2004

    September 2004

    Biometrics Institute Privacy Code, approved by the Australian Privacy Commissioner, comes into operation to address gaps in the Australian Privacy Act for biometrics.

  • Sep 01 2004

    September 2004

    New Zealand’s Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment joins

  • Feb 01 2007

    February 2007

    Australian Government funds development of Biometric Vulnerability Assessment Methodology

  • May 01 2010

    May 2010

    Privacy Awareness Checklist released  

  • May 01 2010

    May 2010

    First Annual Industry Survey launched

  • May 01 2010

    May 2010

    Biometrics Vulnerability Assessment Expert Group established with international expert members

  • Jul 01 2011

    July 2011

    London office opens with National Cyber Security Centre, IDEMIA, Secunet and SITA among the institute’s first European members

  • Nov 01 2011

    November 2011

    Biometrics Privacy Charter is launched, replacing the Australian Privacy Code to provide international good practice principles for biometrics

  • Mar 01 2012

    March 2012

    FBI joins

  • Jun 01 2013

    June 2013

    Royal Bank of Scotland hosts Biometrics Institute’s second European Technology Showcase event in their London offices

  • Sep 01 2013

    September 2013

    Top 10 Vulnerability Questions and Vulnerability Checklist released

  • Jul 01 2014

    July 2014

    Wells Fargo joins

  • Oct 01 2015

    October 2015

    Facebook joins

  • Mar 01 2016

    March 2016

    US Office of Biometric Identity Management (OBIM) hosts institute’s Washington DC meeting for the first time

  • Jul 01 2016

    July 2016

    Digital Services Expert Group established

  • Oct 01 2016

    October 2016

    The Biometrics Vulnerability Assessment Expert Group releases FAQ document on biometric vulnerability assessments

  • Sep 01 2017

    September 2017

    US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) hosts institute’s Washington DC meeting

  • May 01 2017

    May 2017

    Revised Privacy Guidelines released taking into account technological and legislative developments

  • Oct 01 2017

    October 2017

    Chief executive, Isabelle Moeller, wins the Women in Biometrics Award

  • Mar 01 2018

    March 2018

    Lufthansa joins

  • May 01 2018

    May 2018

    Release of Privacy Impact Assessment Model Template

  • Jun 01 2018

    June 2018

    The United Nations’ Compendium of Recommended Practices for the Responsible Use & Sharing of Biometrics in Counter Terrorism is released – a joint project between the Biometrics Institute and the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) and the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Centre (UNCTC)

  • Sep 01 2018

    September 2018

    Release of Understanding Biometrics – Considerations for Implementing a Biometric System good practice guide

  • Mar 01 2019

    March 2019

    Launch of Ethical Principles for Biometrics to guide members to act ethically, in the absence of international law

  • Apr 01 2019

    April 2019

    Microsoft joins

  • May 01 2019

    May 2019

    Release of updated Privacy Guidelines includes the international implications of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), applied to biometrics

  • Jul 01 2019

    July 2019

    Industry Survey celebrates 10 years

  • Aug 01 2019

    August 2019

    10 international observers sign formal agreements with the institute, including UNICEF, The World Bank and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

  • Oct 01 2019

    October 2019

    Singapore meeting becomes Biometrics Institute’s 225th member meeting and 425th institute event

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Responsible use of Biometrics

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Register For Updates

  • Home
  • What is Biometrics?
    • Overview
    • Types of Biometrics
    • FAQs
    • Explanatory Dictionary of Biometrics
    • Privacy & Biometrics
    • Standards
    • Vulnerability & Testing
  • About
    • Overview
    • Our History
    • Our Team
    • Our Values
    • The Board
    • Expert & Sector Groups
    • Press Releases
  • Events
    • Biometrics Institute Congress
    • Conferences & Exhibitions
    • Member Meetings
    • Online Meetings
    • Biometrics events overview
    • Courses and Seminars
    • On Demand
    • Past Meetings
  • Memberships
    • Overview
    • Member Benefits
    • Fees
    • List of Members
    • Apply Now
    • Member Testimonials
  • Resources
    • Resources
    • Member Hub
    • Good Practice
    • Thought Leadership
    • Biometrics concepts and solutions
    • Education and Training
      • The Fundamentals of Biometrics online
      • Biometrics Essentials learning tool
    • Industry Survey
    • The Three Laws of Biometrics
    • Two decades of biometrics
      • Applications and use cases
      • Privacy and policy
      • Research and development
      • Technology innovation
  • Supplier Directory
  • Contact