Security Council - Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC) - Biometrics

CTED speaks at ID@Borders and Future of Travel Conference 2023

AKHVEDELID — Sun, 30 Apr 2023 05:36:00 +0000

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Jean-Philippe Morange, Senior Legal Officer at CTED, presents at the ID@Borders and Future of Travel Conference 2023 in Brussels, Belgium.

From 20-21 April 2023, the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) attended the ID@Borders and Future of Travel Conference 2023 in Brussels, Belgium. CTED participated as a speaker in two sessions addressing the importance of safeguarding biometrics and predicting the future of biometrics. During these discussions, CTED shared good practices in biometrics use in counter-terrorism, providing updates on current status and challenges regarding the responsible use and sharing of biometrics. CTED also took the opportunity to raise awareness of the related requirements of Security Council resolution 2396 (2017), as well as the guidance on the responsible use and sharing of biometrics contained in the Madrid Guiding Principles (S/2015/939) and The Addendum to the guiding principles on foreign terrorist fighters (2018) (S/2018/1177). Participation in the event also enabled CTED to further strengthen its engagement with the Biometrics Institute and participating Member States, international organizations, academia and private sector actors, as well as to learn about recent technological and other trends and developments in the use of biometrics.

During the discussions, CTED also recalled its partnership with the Biometrics Institute and the 51�Թ� Office of Counter-Terrorism in the promotion of the second phase of the joint project being implemented by the Global Counter-Terrorism Coordination Compact Working Group on Border Management and Law Enforcement relating to Counter-Terrorism, which includes the organization of targeted expert regional workshops that use The UN Compendium of Recommended Practices for the Responsible Use and Sharing of Biometrics in Counter-Terrorism as a tool to raise States’ awareness of the need to ensure the responsible and proper use of biometrics in accordance with resolution 2396 (2017).

CTED stressed that the field of biometrics continues to evolve at a rapid pace, and Member States continue to explore new ways to develop their biometric capabilities – and this trend has only accelerated during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. CTED recognized that biometric identification is an effective and powerful tool to identify terrorists and criminals, disrupt their travel, and authenticate and verify identities, as well as a forensic tool.

CTED recalled that Member States must ensure that any measures taken to counter terrorism comply with all their obligations under international law, in particular international human rights law, international refugee law, and international humanitarian law. Respect for human rights and the rule of law must be the bedrock of the global fight against terrorism, and this principle must be reflected in practice, procedure, and institutional culture.

CTED also emphasized that use of such state-of-the-art biometric technology should be based on a clear legal framework that stipulates the purpose and scope of such use and that States should consider at an early stage how legislation will meet the challenges stemming from the further development of biometric technologies with full respect for human rights and taking into account gender and age sensitivities. It is highly recommended that authorities assess the new technologies’ potential implications on individuals and their rights and, based on that knowledge, advocate for, and support, policy development aimed at risk mitigation. Some critical components in implementing biometric capabilities are to exercise a whole-of society approach, partnerships and dialogue between public authorities and the biometrics industry, including with all other relevant stakeholders. CTED also highlighted the need to work in a more comprehensive manner on the biometrics phenomena globally, its application in concert with new technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI), and big data.

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CTED publishes Analytical Brief on the use of biometrics in counter-terrorism

AKHVEDELID — Thu, 09 Dec 2021 21:58:00 +0000

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On 10 December 2021, CTED published its latest Analytical Brief, which explores key trends and challenges relating to the use of biometrics in counter-terrorism. Using as its starting point the adoption of Security Council resolution 2396 (2017) — which requires Member States to develop and implement systems to collect biometric data in order to identify terrorists responsibly and properly — the Brief provides unique insights derived from CTED’s dialogue with Member States on behalf of the Counter-Terrorism Committee and its engagement with UN partners and civil society.

CTED’s analysis indicates that, although 118 of the 193 51�Թ� Member States have made at least marginal progress in introducing biometrics for counter-terrorism purposes, the extent of biometrics use and expertise varies significantly. Although biometrics are widely used in nearly half of European Member States, they have only been marginally introduced across the Middle East, and more than half of African Member States have yet to introduce biometrics at all.

The Analytical Brief identifies other key trends, including the use of new and more sophisticated technologies to capture, collect, process, and analyse biometric data; an expansion in the range of physical and digital spaces in which States are validating biometric data; and an increase, in some States in the sharing of biometric data as part of counter-terrorism cooperation and information-sharing measures.

It also identifies multiple key challenges, including insufficient capacity in many Member States; insufficient legal and administrative frameworks; insufficient oversight, safeguards, and protection of privacy and data; and reinforcement of existing discrimination and inequalities. These multifaceted challenges illustrate the need for coordinated delivery of technical assistance and capacity-building for Member States (notably States of Africa, Central and South East Asia, and South America) that are struggling with the introduction and use of biometrics, as well as the need for States with expertise in the responsible use of biometrics to support such initiatives.

The Brief also recognizes that the private sector has a critical role to play in the development of biometric systems in a responsible, human rights-compliant manner, including cybersecurity measures to protect the data collected. Many related public-private partnerships have already been developed, and those partnerships should be supported and promoted at the national, regional, and international levels, recognizing the importance of ensuring that they respect human rights and promote a gender-sensitive approach.

The Analytical Brief concludes with a list of relevant international guidance and initiatives developed to help ensure that relevant stakeholders use biometric technology responsibly in the context of counter-terrorism.

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CTED attends global biometrics conference

AKHVEDELID — Fri, 20 Apr 2018 05:50:00 +0000

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The Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) attended the annual “ID @ Borders” Conference, held in Brussels on 18 and 19 April.

Organized by the Biometrics Institute, the conference was attended by major stakeholders from around the world.

Participants discussed the use of biometric technologies in various contexts, including at national borders.

It was noted that the use of biometrics raised important questions relating to national security, the sharing of data by Member States, privacy and data-management policies, and the speed and efficiency of border checks.

CTED briefed participants on the related provisions of the relevant Security Council resolutions on counter-terrorism.

The adoption of resolution 2322 (2016) had marked the first time that the Council had called on Member States to share biometric data to detect and identify terrorists, including foreign terrorist fighters (FTFs). Council resolution 2396, adopted in 2017, had made that call a requirement.

Law-enforcement and border-control agencies must strengthen the tools at their disposal.

With respect to human rights concerns, the Council had adopted the concept of the “responsible use of biometrics”, which incorporated the need to ensure that appropriate privacy and data-protection frameworks were in place.

There was an urgent need to raise awareness of the benefits of biometrics and of how biometrics might be abused for terrorist or other criminal purposes.

The sharing of data and information with relevant international organizations, such as INTERPOL, was central to the use of biometrics, including in the context of the FTF phenomenon.

However, many States lacked the legal and administrative frameworks and the technological expertise and resources required to implement biometrics effectively.

New partnerships were needed to enhance global implementation of biometric systems. Technical assistance providers should provide assistance to Member States, and States and international and regional organizations should develop partnerships with the private sector

CTED had partnered with the Biometrics Institute to develop a compendium of existing good practices on the responsible use of biometrics, under the auspices of the CTITF Working Group on Border Management and Law Enforcement. The compendium would be presented to Member States in June 2018.

CTED took part in a panel discussion on the use of biometrics for counter-terrorism purposes, which focused on the need to achieve a balance between national security, privacy concerns, and human rights concerns.

That balance was essential, including in efforts to prevent the commission of terrorist acts.

Participants noted the need to define a clear purpose for the use of biometrics and to ensure that individuals were given the legal means to challenge the use of their personal data, as appropriate.

The discussions also addressed the interrelationship between biometric data management and passenger-data systems (including API and PNR), national watch lists, and law enforcement databases.

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