ALEXANDRIA, Va.—The Security Industry Association (SIA) is opposing legislation that would sharply restrict the use of biometric technology in Alaska.
Sponsored by Alaska State Sen. Bill Wielechowski (D-District J), the bill (SB 190) mandates that a person must provide “informed and written consent” before their biometric data can be obtained. Law enforcement and other state and federal authorities would be excluded from this law. Biometric data is classified as fingerprints, handprints, voices, facial images, iris images and retinal images in the bill.
SIA believes that the bill would have unintended negative consequences, which could lead to less secure identity solutions being used.
“Biometrics provide an effective measure against fraud and identity theft in applications as diverse as personal access to buildings/computers, banking security, business-to-business transactions and ecommerce,” SIA CEO Richard Chace states in a letter addressed to Wielechowski.
Additionally, the association says that it is in the final stages of creating an outline that will help inform policymakers, consumers and industry stakeholders on technology and privacy-related matters.
