Biotiedot

Biotiedot is the Finnish term for biometric data—information derived from biological characteristics that can be used to identify or verify a person or describe biological traits. Biotiedot typically include physiological traits such as fingerprints, facial geometry, iris or DNA patterns, and vocal characteristics, as well as behavioral traits like gait, keystroke dynamics, and handwriting. They are collected by sensors, imaging devices, or clinical assays and are increasingly used in security, health, and research settings.

Applications include identity verification for access control, authentication for devices and services, patient identification in healthcare, and research tasks such as phenotyping. The use of biotiedot raises questions of privacy, consent, and potential misuse, which drive regulatory and technical safeguards.

Legal and privacy framework: In the European Union, biometric data are a special category of personal data under the GDPR. Processing is generally restricted and requires a lawful basis, such as explicit consent or necessity for contract, with additional safeguards like purpose limitation, data minimization, and security measures. Data subjects have rights to access, rectify, erase, and restrict processing, and to object. Cross-border transfers require appropriate safeguards.

Security and governance: Organizations must implement strong technical controls, including encryption at rest and in transit, strict access controls, audit logging, and secure retention policies. Where feasible, data minimization, pseudonymization, and separation of datasets reduce risk. Systems should employ liveness checks to deter spoofing and bias mitigation to improve accuracy.

Standards and interoperability: International standards such as ISO/IEC 19794 series cover biometric data formats and interfaces, while ISO/IEC 2382 and NIST guidelines influence evaluation and security practices. Responsible use requires clear governance, privacy impact assessments, and accountability for processors and controllers.