ABSTRACT
Although it may seem that biometric data only recently came into existence, it actually traces its roots back many centuries. This chapter examines the use of biometric data from its ancient historical context to its present day use in state-of-the-art technology, where it became a semi-automated and then automated classification system. As the use of biometric data has become more mainstream officials have grappled with how to best regulate it. The European Union General Data Protection Regulation and the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act are two such regulatory approaches that this chapter will discuss, in addition to examining the legal regulation of existing and emerging biometric technologies.
This chapter concludes with of our view of the future use of biometric technologies and attempts to regulate such use through law. One important conclusion is that the speed of technological change clearly and rapidly outpaces that of legislative process, thus creating a challenge for democracies to meet the demands of technological processes in this century.
