The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) confirmed on 16 June that it will publish a statutory code of practice for AI-driven decision-making, including facial-recognition and e-Gate technologies widely deployed at British airports. The guidance, requested by Cabinet ministers earlier this year, aims to give the public ‘agency, choice and control’ over how their biometric data are used. For global mobility stakeholders the forthcoming code matters because airlines, airport operators and government contractors will need to demonstrate compliance when processing passenger data – from Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) applications to automated border clearance. The ICO says transparency guidance for SMEs and public bodies will be released alongside sandbox services to test innovative identity solutions. The move follows a wave of airport upgrades – including Heathrow’s £1 billion CT-scanner and facial-verification rollout – and growing concern over algorithmic bias. Travel-programme owners should map data flows involving third-party vendors and ensure contractual clauses allow rapid updates once the code is finalised in 2027. Failure to align with the new standards could trigger enforcement, fines and reputational damage, especially as the government plans to publish performance dashboards ranking organisations on compliance with the UK GDPR’s ‘fairness’ principle.
Source: Biometric Update
