Biometrics consultation – call for comments

On October 11, 2023, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (OPC) launched a public consultation on new draft guidance on biometric technologies.

The draft guidance provides information on privacy obligations, considerations, and best practices for handling biometric information. It is divided into two documents: Draft Guidance for processing biometrics – for organizations and Draft Guidance for processing biometrics – for public institutions.

The OPC launched this consultation process to help ensure that the final guidance we produce will be as clear, complete, and useful as possible. We hope to receive feedback from a broad range of stakeholders in the privacy and biometrics communities and beyond, including members of the public.

How to participate in the consultation

We invite interested individuals and organizations to provide feedback on the draft guidance through the online biometrics consultation form, which can be accessed through a link at the bottom of this page.

The consultation period is open from October 11, 2023, to January 12, 2024. Be sure to submit your feedback no later than 11:59 PST on January 12.

Any comments that violate Canadian law or violate our comment policy will not be considered within scope of this call for feedback and will either be deleted or dealt with in accordance with our legal authorities under the Privacy Act. Please note that the OPC is not providing funding for any feedback related to this call for comments.

For any questions relating to this consultation, including any requests for accommodation regarding submission procedures, please contact us at OPC-CPVPconsult1@priv.gc.ca.

Important information about your submission

The OPC is subject to the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act. The Access to Information Act provides a public right of access to government records. The Privacy Act provides individuals with a right of access to their own personal information and protects that information from unauthorized disclosure.

Feedback that you provide to us in this consultation process may be accessible to third parties outside of the OPC under the Access to Information Act. However, this does not apply to any personal information (as defined in the Privacy Act) that may be associated with your submission.

Your feedback will not be posted on the OPC website but we may post summaries of feedback that we receive, and we may share summaries of feedback with external organizations. The summaries will not attribute views or feedback we received to any specific individual or organization.

Please see the OPC’s Privacy Policy, Terms and Conditions, and Comment Policy for how we handle your information. The personal information you provide will be used and may be disclosed for the purpose for which the information was obtained or compiled by the OPC, or for a use consistent with that purpose.

If you have a question unrelated to this call for feedback, please use our Online information request form or contact our Information Centre. Feedback will not be treated as a privacy complaint under the Privacy Act or PIPEDA. For further information on filing complaints under either Act, please see File a formal privacy complaint.

Biometrics guidance – Consultation feedback form