The rising use of biometric information has caused the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to issue a warning against the new technology. The warning is based on concerns over data privacy and potential discrimination if the technology is misused. Biometric information refers to data that depict or describe physical, biological or behavioral traits, characteristics or measurements of or relating to an identified or identifiable person’s body.
In a policy statement, the FTC said the agency is committed to combatting unfair or deceptive acts and practices related to the collection and use of consumers’ biometric information and the marketing and use of biometric information technologies. In recent years, the FTC has brought enforcement actions against photo app maker Everalbum and Facebook, charging they misrepresented their uses of facial recognition technology. The FTC also issued a report about facial recognition in 2012 that recommended best practices to protect consumers’ privacy.