Businesses balance many priorities, but none are more important than their employees' safety. On this, workers and leaders agree.
According to one Workplace Safety Report,
In response, upgrading access control has become a critical investment in risk management and threat mitigation.
Increasingly, these investments are technology-focused, leveraging biometric authentication, like fingerprint or facial authentication, to power next-generation access control systems.
The benefits can be enormous, providing fast, convenient, and secure access control experiences.
However, while access control solutions powered by biometric authentication make physical spaces more secure by reducing risks and streamlining facility operations, they also introduce new privacy concerns that must be carefully managed to maintain employee trust and regulatory compliance.
Personal privacy and biometric authentication
Biometrics as a form of access control give employers superior security. However, there are underlying concerns that come with using biometrics for access control.
These concerns include:
Data storage and security
Data security isn't a new problem. Thousands of data breaches have compromised billions of records annually for more than a decade. It's a significant concern for people.
To be sure, this is a valid concern. Our personal information is precious but biometric data is especially irreplaceable. Stakeholders want to understand how data is collected, stored, shared, and retained.
Data accuracy
Biometric authentication systems must be extremely accurate, as a false positive could grant unauthorized access, and false negatives could prohibit authorized users from accessing needed spaces.
Consent and choice
Workers worry about being forced to provide biometric data as a condition of employment or facility access, requiring a thoughtful approach to voluntary participation and alternative access methods for employees who opt out.
These concerns are valid and stakes are high. However, with the right approach, companies can mitigate safety and facility risks without compromising privacy or undermining employee protections.
How to ensure biometric privacy and security
Enhancing employee and facility security while eroding privacy is a mistake. Instead, companies should adopt a privacy-first approach to biometric authentication.
Here's how.
#1 Develop a privacy policy
Set clear guidelines for biometric authentication explaining why biometrics will be used, how biometric data will be stored, for how long, and how biometric data will be protected.
#2 Communicate privacy policies to all stakeholders
Disseminate the privacy policy to all relevant stakeholders in a variety of mediums and modalities.
This might include sharing the policy with stakeholders electronically through email and internet/intranet sites. It also requires regular in-person or virtual training sessions where employees can ask questions, voice concerns, and learn more about the technology.
Publish the privacy policy in employee manuals and handbooks and post it in public places.
In other words, companies should over-communicate, addressing employees' valid concerns with helpful information that cultivates confidence.
#3 Gather user opt-ins
Privacy is a paradox. While people are increasingly aware of and concerned about potential privacy concerns associated with various technologies, they also need to read and understand the privacy policies associated with them.
According to one
That's why companies can't (and shouldn't) just assume that employees reviewed the privacy policy.
Instead, validate that the user has reviewed and understood the privacy policy, collect legally valid user opt-ins, and give users who opt out a method to access necessary facilities.
#4 Work with practitioners & resources who prioritize privacy
There is an expansive range of resources, from practitioners to methods and technology, that provide access control and biometric authentication.
Companies prioritizing privacy will only work with partners and deploy technologies that take the same approach.
Ensure any process, solution, or method deployed in your organization requires:
- No exposure of users' personally identifiable information (PII)
- Encrypts biometric data
- Safeguards those who opt out
- Provides tools to help automate compliance.
Compliance starts with checking on certifications. Ensure that all processes, solutions, and people tasked with leading them have proper certifications, including NDAA, ISO27001, ISO27017, and ISO 27018.
#5 Implement continuous privacy monitoring
Privacy isn't just a day-one priority. It's an ongoing mandate that requires continual vigilance.
Therefore, companies deploying biometric authentication for access control should conduct regular privacy audits to evaluate biometric data practices and privacy-related incidents.
What's more, be prepared to update privacy policies and procedures as new technologies emerge, privacy regulations evolve, and employees engage with this technology.
Physical security and data privacy are both important. Companies don't have to sacrifice one to achieve the other. An intentional implementation strategy will account for privacy while making physical spaces safer for everyone.
Safety as a shared priority
Workplace safety is a shared priority embraced by employers and employees.
Modern access control solutions are making building security more convenient and effective while introducing novel privacy concerns related to biometric authentication.
By following privacy-first implementation practices – from developing comprehensive policies and securing stakeholder buy-in to selecting the right technology partners and maintaining ongoing oversight – companies can create secure facilities that protect physical assets and personal privacy.
