Fourteen technology suppliers have had their updated biometric solutions to the challenges of coronavirus published by the Biometrics Institute. Submission topics range from standards for the development and testing of vaccine passports, to hygiene safety in elections to biometric technology and the future of sport.

In March 2020, just before the peak of the first wave of COVID-19 in the UK, the membership organisation asked its supplier members to submit a paper outlining their biometric solutions to the pandemic. The paper has had nearly 5000 downloads. A year on, and the world’s understanding of the threat and possible solutions to control it have changed. The institute has gone back to its supplier members and asked them to write an update.

For the 2021 update, the institute asked its members to address the critical questions organisations are still facing and to explain how their solutions are effective.

Biometrics Institute chief executive Isabelle Moeller said, ‘The numbers of people still downloading the first report indicates this is clearly an area where our network is still looking for answers. This collection of solutions reveals some of the great work going on behind the scenes to get economies back on their feet.’

The institute does not endorse any of the submissions but is sharing them to help generate discussion as the world searches for solutions to new challenges.

Read the report here.

Notes to editors:

The Biometrics Institute is the independent and impartial international membership organisation for biometric users and other interested parties. It was established in 2001 to promote the responsible use of biometrics and has offices in London and Sydney.

With more than a thousand members from 240 membership organisations spread across 30 countries, it represents a global and diverse multi-stakeholder community. This includes banks, airlines, government agencies, biometric experts, privacy experts, suppliers and academics.

The Biometrics Institute connects the global biometrics community. It shares knowledge with its members and key stakeholders and most importantly, develops good-practices and thought leadership for the responsible and ethical use of biometrics.