Biometric technology has long been used for security and law enforcement purposes such as national security watch lists, passport controls, criminal fingerprint databases, and immigration processing. Now, however, the private sector increasingly uses these systems as a verification method for authentication that previously required a PIN or password. Apple’s decision to include a fingerprint scanner in the iPhone in 2013 brought new public awareness to possible non-law-enforcement applications of biometric technologies, and the company’s shift to facial recognition access in the most recent models further normalized the concept. Biometric technology continues to be adopted in many sectors, including financial services, transportation, health care, computer systems and facility access, and voting. In many cases, this technology is more efficient, less expensive, and easier to use than traditional alternatives, while also eliminating the need for passwords, which are broadly recognized as an insufficiently secure safeguard for user data. However, as with any digital system, there are privacy concerns around the collection, use, storage, sharing, and analysis of the data that are generated by these systems.
Africa’s Data Protection Reforms: A Continental Perspective on the Drivers of Change in Legal Frameworks
1. Introduction Within an evolving digital landscape, several African jurisdictions have proposed a variety of reforms to existing and novel legal frameworks that regulate the processing of personal data, and the development and deployment of new technologies. Across the continent, there is a growing consensus among legislators on the need to create a regulatory environment […]
Tanzania’s Personal Information Protection Act: Overview, Key Takeaways, and Context
On November 27 2022, the President of Tanzania signed the Personal Information Protection Act, 2022 (PIPA) after it garnered unanimous Parliamentary support following its September 2022 introduction during the 8th Parliamentary sitting. The Act’s passage makes the United Republic of Tanzania (henceforth referred to as “Tanzania”) the 35th country in Africa to enact a standalone data […]
Looking Back to Forge Ahead: Challenges of Developing an “African Conception” of Privacy
In this post for the FPF Blog, Mercy King’ori explores the cultural and societal underpinnings of “privacy” in Africa, looking throughout history, from pre-colonial times, and beyond the modern external influences on the legislative processes resulting in general data protection laws across the continent. The first essential point to start off from is understanding that […]
How the Kenyan High Court (temporarily) struck down the national digital ID Card: Context and Analysis
The High Court of Kenya, by virtue of a judicial review application, delivered a landmark judgment declaring the proposed national digital ID card (Huduma Card) unconstitutional on October 14, 2021 – a judgment that is now part of the growing data protection and privacy jurisprudence in the country. Kenya enacted its first Data Protection Act […]
At the intersection of AI and Data Protection law: Automated Decision-Making Rules, a Global Perspective (CPDP LatAm Panel)
On Thursday, 15th of July 2021, the Future of Privacy Forum (FPF) organised during the CPDP LatAm Conference a panel titled ‘At the Intersection of AI and Data Protection law: Automated Decision Making Rules, a Global Perspective’. The aim of the Panel was to explore how existing data protection laws around the world apply to profiling and automated decision making practices.