New Zealand Watchdog Issues Biometric Processing Privacy Code and Guidance
The New Zealand Office of the Privacy Commissioner Wednesday issued a biometric processing privacy code that attempts to balance responsible use of biometrics but also restricts intrusive forms of biometric technologies, such as those used to predict people's emotions to infer information like ethnicity or sex.
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The code takes effect Nov. 3, but agencies already using biometrics have until Aug. 3, 2026 to align with it, the office said.
The new rules boost requirements on government agencies to assess the effectiveness and proportionality of using biometrics, and to implement safeguards to reduce privacy risks. Agencies must provide notification that they're using biometric systems before or at the time the data is collected.
It also published detailed guidance to support the code.