Ottawa, August 11, 2025: The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (OPC) has issued updated guidelines on the use of biometric technologies, including facial recognition and fingerprint scanning. The move aims to help organisations protect privacy while using biometrics for security and identity verification.
Key Points of the Guidance
The guidelines call on organisations to clearly define the purpose of biometric use, assess whether the benefits outweigh privacy risks, and adopt strong safeguards for consent, transparency and data accuracy. Federal institutions and private businesses have also been given sector specific advice on lawful authority, technical testing and privacy impact assessments.
Why Biometrics Raise Concerns
Biometric information such as facial features and fingerprints is unique to each person and rarely changes. While these technologies improve security and speed up access to services, they also carry privacy risks because they may reveal sensitive details including health information or traits linked to race or gender.
Public Consultation and Feedback
The updated guidance follows a consultation held between November 2023 and February 2024. During this period the OPC received 34 written submissions and met with 31 organisations. Feedback came from academics, civil society groups, businesses, legal associations and individual citizens. Based on this input, the final document now includes clearer definitions, closer alignment with legal standards and more detailed technical explanations.
Privacy Commissioner’s Statement
Privacy Commissioner Philippe Dufresne highlighted the importance of building privacy protections into biometric initiatives from the very beginning. He stated that doing so ensures innovation while safeguarding the rights of individuals.
Significance of the Update
With biometric use expanding rapidly across sectors, the OPC’s new guidance sets out clear expectations for lawful and responsible practices. The aim is to protect personal privacy while maintaining public trust in biometric systems.
Also read: Over 6,900 Responses Collected on Draft DPDP Rules 2025 from Citizens
