News

Welcome to the July 2026 newsletter for the Scottish Biometrics Commissioner Since our last newsletter I have laid our Joint Assurance review on Fingerprints and our retrospective look back at our 2021/25 Strategic Plan.

The Scottish Biometrics Commissioner Dr Brian Plastow has today responded to the above consultation. The consultation seeks views on a set of proposed reforms to the criminal justice system in Scotland, building on the recommendations of the Sentencing and Penal...

The Scottish Biometrics Commissioner Dr Brian Plastow has recently written to Alyn Smith MSP welcoming his appointment as chair of the Criminal Justice Committee for the seventh session of the Scottish Parliament. In his letter, the Commissioner highlights the work...

The Scottish Biometrics Commissioner Dr Brian Plastow has signed the petition by The Open Rights Group (ORG) calling for the ICO to be re-set. In 2024, Dr Plastow published an Opinion Piece which considered why the (then) UK Government was...

The Commissioner has today laid his Outcomes Report before Parliament. The report highlights what we have achieved during our first Strategic Plan from 2021/25.

In the autumn of 2026, the Commissioner will publish an updated Code of Practice. Once approved by Scottish Ministers, this Code will then be required to be brought into legal effect by regulations made by the Scottish Ministers under Section...

The Scottish Biometrics Commissioner Dr Brian Plastow has today written to Alasdair Hay CBE QFSM to congratulate him on his appointment as SPA Chair.

The recent King’s Speech confirmed that the UK Government intend bringing forward primary legislation to support expansion of the police use of Live Facial Recognition (LFR) in England and Wales. Accordingly, the Scottish Biometrics Commissioner, Dr Brian Plastow has written...

On Thursday 21 May 2026, the Scottish Biometrics Commissioner Dr Brian Plastow is speaking in the leadership session of the public sector AI conference at the University of Strathclyde. The Commissioner will speak on the theme of ethics, trust, and...

The Biometrics Institute have released this video to demonstrate how facial recognition may be utilised effectively in an ethical and transparent manner within the policing and criminal justice community.

The Scottish Biometrics Commissioner Dr Brian Plastow has today welcomed the High Court dismissal of a judicial review challenge by privacy campaigners to the legality of the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) policy on Live Facial Recognition.

In February the SPA carried out a public survey. As part of this survey they asked six biometric questions. The responses to these questions can be found below.