Abstract
AbstractThe first part of this chapter considers future biometrics, with a focus on second generation biometrics that measure physiological patterns. The second discusses the potential biometric future – how the use of biometrics, data and algorithms more broadly, could be used by governments to regulate social and economic interactions. This discussion will draw on the development of credit systems, from those used in commercial online platforms to rate the performance of providers and users, to the more integrated and all-encompassing social credit system (SCS) implemented in China, as an example of a potential future development in liberal democratic countries. Finally, we discuss the key features of liberal democratic theory and how biometric and related technological developments may change governance in western democracies. While we briefly mention some relevant developments in the private sector, our main focus will be on the relationship between liberal democratic governments and their security agencies, on the one hand, and their citizenry, on the other. We describe in general terms how liberal democracies might respond to these new technologies in a manner that preserves their benefits without unduly compromising established liberal democratic institutions, principles and values. Accordingly, we seek to offer a response to some of the dual use ethical dilemmas posed by biometrics, albeit in general terms.
Highlights
The first part of this chapter considers future biometrics, with a focus on second generation biometrics that measure physiological patterns
We have argued that there can be adequate moral justifications for security agencies in liberal democratic states to use biometric technologies to provide the collective good of security if the use of these technologies is, for instance, necessary and proportionate, and if appropriate accountability mechanisms are in place
It is a commonplace of political philosophy that the establishment of government and the rule of law is instrumentally necessary for the preservation of the freedom of each of us, albeit under the restriction not unduly to interfere with others; the alternative, as Hobbes famously said, is the state of nature in which life is nasty, brutish and short
Summary
There are a range of new biometrics being developed and implemented that provide insights into how biometric technology may influence society in the future. A similar technique which has been established for some time, cannot be administered at a distance, is cognitive biometric identification. This is based on the measurement of electrical signals that are generated in the brain as a result of an individual’s thought processes (Revett et al, 2010). While technology generally becomes smaller and cheaper over time, cognitive biometrics are unlikely to be used as widely as the main forms of biometrics that have been discussed Another important second generation for of biometric identification is gait recognition. This measures the pattern of motion made by an individual’s limbs when they walk (Goffredo et al, 2010). A video recording is converted into a representative silhouette and
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