Skip to content

Biometric Data

What is Biometric Data?

Personal data resulting from specific technical processing relating to the physical, physiological, or behavioural characteristics of a natural person, such as facial images or fingerprint data. Classified as special category data under GDPR.

Privacy

Each of these is named in at least one of the same controls as biometric data. The number is how many controls name both.

What the standards actually require on biometric data

Requirements naming biometric data across 6 standards, quoted from the control text.

Processing employees' biometric data for recording working time and for entry/exit to official premises is permitted where prescribed by law, or as an alternative to another time/access solution, provided the employee gave explicit consent under the GDPR.

HR-GDPR-Art.23 · Biometric Data of Employees (Time and Access)

Per 152-FZ Articles 10 + 11: special categories + biometric. Requirements include (a) Special Categories of Data (Article 10) prohibited processing without specific consent or legal basis including race + ethnicity + political + religious + philosophical + hea...

RUSPD-4 · Special Categories, Biometric Data

Biometric data is sensitive personal data under TDPSA, requiring opt-in consent. Texas Capture or Use of Biometric Identifier (CUBI) Act (§ 503.001) imposes additional pre-capture notice, written consent, retention limits, and prohibition on sale (with narrow...

TDPSA-541-101-BIOMETRIC · Biometric Data Handling (TDPSA and CUBI Overlap)

Genetic and biometric data. Section 25 imposes specific conditions on the processing of genetic and biometric personal data.

BW-DPA-s25 · Processing of genetic and biometric data

Biometric personal data may be processed only with the written consent of the data subject, except in cases related to administration of justice, state security, counter terrorism and other purposes expressly provided by law.

UZB-DPL-09 · Biometric Data Protection

Questions people ask about biometric data

What is Biometric Data?
Personal data resulting from specific technical processing relating to the physical, physiological, or behavioural characteristics of a natural person, such as facial images or fingerprint data. Classified as special category data under GDPR.
Why is Biometric Data important for compliance?
Biometric Data is a key concept in Privacy. Understanding biometric data helps organizations meet regulatory requirements, reduce risk, and demonstrate due diligence during audits. Our compliance platform maps 686 frameworks with 311K cross-framework control mappings.
Which compliance frameworks address Biometric Data?
Biometric Data appears in the requirement text of Kazakhstan Law on Personal Data and Their Protection (No. 94-V), Act on the Implementation of the General Data Protection Regulation (OG 42/2018), Russia Federal Law on Personal Data (152-FZ), Texas Data Privacy Act, Botswana Data Protection Act (2024). Across these standards we have identified 15 controls that name it directly, each linked to the control text on the compliance platform.
Where can I learn more about Biometric Data?
Explore our compliance framework pages to see how biometric data applies across different standards and regulations. Our implementation guides provide step-by-step guidance, and the compliance platform offers AI-powered analysis of how this concept maps across 686 frameworks.

See how Biometric Data applies across compliance frameworks

Our platform maps 686 frameworks with 311K cross-framework control mappings. Explore how this concept is addressed across standards.

Written and maintained by Gerard Blokdyk, The Art of Service.