Biometrics not ready for prime time, says Europe

The European Commission has unveiled a website which it hopes will speed up the creation of consistent policies for using biometric technologies - and help protect privacy.

The biometrics market is about to complete the first phase of its development lifecycle, and while there has been some progress on the technology and legislation fronts, there hasn't been enough and it has been too fragmented for the large scale deployment of biometrics systems, the EC said.

In a statement, the EC said: "Key issues of security, privacy, interoperability of systems and applications, performance, scalability, and data control, remain to be addressed."

To address this, its European Biometrics Portal (EBP) aims to encourage and support the exchange of information and data on biometric technology initiatives, deployments and trials in European member states.

Biometrics will form the cornerstone of the UK government's plans to introduce identity cards. Biometrics will also be used in UK passports.

The EC added: "Biometrics is becoming a key technology in identity management all over the world. The new portal's objective is to encourage the development of consistent policies in the field of biometrics and the respect of privacy. EBP will also support European industry in consolidating its resources."

The website is open to scientific and policy contributions from governments, industry and others.