McArthur responds to launch of biometrics review 

Responding to the news that the Scottish Biometrics Commissioner has announced plans to carry out a review of Police Scotland’s collection and use of fingerprints, which is set to be published next spring, Scottish Liberal Democrat justice spokesperson Liam McArthur MSP said:

“There have long been concerns about the way in which Police Scotland is holding and using biometrics, so I am pleased to see the Commissioner taking steps to investigate this further.

“Police Scotland has already been reprimanded for storing biometric data on cloud servers, despite the legal status of this practice being up in the air.

“Scottish Liberal Democrats have repeatedly emphasised that the police must ensure they are balancing public safety against privacy and ethical considerations when using biometrics.

“If biometric data is to have positive outcomes for Scottish policing, more must be done to ensure it is used in a proportionate, necessary and safe manner.”