In the age of smartphones, smart cities and the internet of things, privacy is one of the biggest concerns. Biometric data collection forms one of the biggest enablers of violation of this right, creating a tremendous potential for surveillance. In India, fingerprints have been stored in the UIDAI database, while DNA profiles are soon proposed to be stored as well. Apart from such governmental collection of biometric data, an increasing concern is with the biometric data in the possession of private persons.

The latest concern that arises is with Apple’s Face ID technology. While smartphone users are excited with Apple’s latest launch — the iPhone X, privacy advocates are extremely concerned with this new feature, which uses a 3D image of a person’s face to authenticate. So much so that US Senator Al Franken has written to Apple CEO Tim Cook questioning the privacy and security protections of this new feature.