Global council for biometrics forum

The Dublin-based European Biometrics Forum (EBF), established in the Digital Hub as an advisory body to the European biometrics industry, has set up an international advisory council to offer opinions and recommendations on biometrics to the EBF, its members and partners on biometrics issues.

Biometrics are technologies that use unique human physical or behavioural traits to identify individuals, such as electronic fingerprinting, face recognition programmes or iris scans. Biometrics are routinely being included in new passports in many countries worldwide, for example.

The 11-member International Biometric Advisory Council includes high-profile members from government, industry, academia and privacy advocacy organisations worldwide, including Canada's information and privacy commissioner and the deputy director of the US-VISIT visa programme in the US Department of Homeland Security.

The forum's chief executive and chairman of the new council, Max Snijder said in a statement: "The EBF is committed to driving the global agenda on interoperability, privacy and standards. With this senior council in place, we will be well informed to position European developments into the global picture".

Members of the new council are Robert Mocny, deputy director, US-VISIT, Department of Homeland Security; Dr Ann Cavoukian, information and privacy commissioner of Ontario, Canada; Cleopatra Doumbia Henry, director, ILO; Clive Reedman, chairman, iAfB; Christer Bergman, IBIA; Akio Kokubu, chairman, Japanese Biometric Security Consortium; Bernard Didier, Sagem Défense Sécurité; Norbert Kouwenhoven, IBM; Prof Helmut Reimer, TeleTrusT, and Christoph Busch, Cast Forum.

The council will meet twice a year and expects to invite further members to the council in the coming months. It will also have a number of key observers attend meetings of the group.