Welcome to the June 2024 newsletter for the Scottish Biometrics Commissioner
Since our last newsletter I have laid my Assurance Review on Images and completed our first Code of Practice Validated Self-Assessments
Dr Brain Plastow
Scottish Biometrics Commissioner
To learn more about who we are and what we do please visit our website
Find us on Facebook by searching ' Scottish Biometrics Commissioner'
Our new look website went live in January.
Scottish Biometrics Conference
The first ever Scottish Biometrics Conference took place in Edinburgh on 19 June 2024 .
The key speaker at the conference included the Cabinet Secretary for Justice, Angela Constance, Chief Constable Jo Farrell and Martyn Evans, Chair of the Scottish Police Authority.
Brian Plastow, Scottish Biometrics Commissioner, said:
' The purpose of today was to start a national conversation around the use of biometrics and show the important part it plays in policing and criminal justice, and not just from the pint of view of fixing identity or identifying guilty people, but also for eliminating innocent people from police enquiries.
Diego Quiroz,
The following articles outline the discussions at the conference.
Dr Brian Plastow: Biometrics in Criminal Justice | Scottish Police Authority (spa.police.uk)
Biometrics in Criminal Justice Conference | Scottish Police Authority (spa.police.uk)
Police Professional | Police Scotland issues new biometrics information leaflet in custody suites
AI moves step closer to frontline policing at first ever Scottish biometrics conference | FutureScot
On 8 May the Commissioner met with Tony Eastaugh CBE the Biometrics and Surveillance Camera Commissioner for England and Wales at our offices in Edinburgh. Tony was in Scotland as part of his wider UK role in reviewing biometrics held for counter-terrorism purposes and that this provided the opportunity to meet and discuss areas of mutual interest.
WHAT'S HAPPENED SINCE OUR LAST NEWSLETTER
We've welcomed three new members to our Advisory Group
Peter Fussey is a Professor in the Department of Sociology and Criminology at the University of
Essex
William Webster is Professor of Public Policy and Management at the University of Stirling
Both Professor Fussey and Professor Webster are Directors of the Centre for Research into
information, Surveillance and Privacy (CRISP)
Jenny Brotchie is the Regional Manager (Scotland) for the ICO. Jenny replaces Ken McDonald
who represented the ICO on our Advisory Group from its inception.
At the beginning of the year an easy read version of the Code of Practice and the complaints procedure were published on our website. These were developed as part of our strategy to make our documents more accessible.
OUT AND ABOUT
Over the last few months the Commissioner has attended a variety of meetings and delivered a range of presentations - some are listed below:
- 1 February: Speaker at Cyber Scotland Conference at Dynamic Earth
- 13 February: Panel Member at Leverhulme Research Centre for Forensic Science talk on How can Genealogy
Transform Forensic Investigations?
- 21 March: FINDS Strategy Board - London
- 30 April: Attended the Finance and Public Administration Committee at the Scottish Parliament.
Our Operations Manager has also been busy over the past few months:
- March: Digital Identity Scotland - Expert Group Meeting
- May: Meeting UK The Parliament Office of Science and Technology (POST) to contribute to their research
on 'Collation, us and potential misuse of biometric data'
- June: FINDS Strategy Board
- June: AI Regulatory Network meeting chaired by the UK ICO
FURTHER SOURCES OF READING
For further reading please visit our Scottish Biometrics Commissioner website
There are many other reference sources available to assist readers in engaging with debates on biometric data and technologies more generally. We do not endorse materials on other websites but simply signpost the following short selection as sources of additional information:
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Scottish Police Authority Forensic Services |
Forensic Services | Scottish Police Authority (spa.police.uk)
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Biometric Update UK |
https://www.biometricupdate.com/
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Biometrics Institute |
https://www.biometricsinstitute.org/
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Ada Lovelace Institute |
https://www.adalovelaceinstitute.org/
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Commissioner for the retention and use of Biometrics for the UK and the Surveillance Camera Commissioner for England and Wales
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https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/biometrics-and-surveillance-camera-commissioner |
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Forensic Information Database Service (Home Office) |
I hope that this short newsletter is of interest. You can subscribe to future newsletters and annual reports automatically by registering on our website.