April 11, 2024
Moko match fear in biometric data rules
The Privacy Commission has come up with a draft set of rules for biometric technology such as face recognition which take into account the special cultural needs of Māori.
Privacy Commissioner Michael Webster says Māori were consulted around concerns such as ta moko and whether the technology can perpetuate bias and negative profiling.
“So we are proposing a set of rules we think will protect Māori biometric information along with that of other New Zealanders by focusing on things like for example we have a particular requirement in our draft rules requiring organisations to understand any cultural impacts of processing biometric information,” he says.
Mr Webster says it might mean organisations have to do more research and consultation before they introduce buimetric systems.
The Commission is concerned to ensure there are very clear rules and expectations on businesses that if they are collecting personal biometric information that they keep it secure and that they delete it when they don’t need it.
Mr Webster says it shouldn’t just be up to the individual to protect their own privacy.
Public feedback is now sought.