News

On 23 February 2023, a motion about the reach of Chinese state surveillance in Scotland (S6M-07832) was laid in Parliament by Alex Cole-Hamilton, Leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats. The motion engaged with matters of UK national security and data...

On 30 January 2023, the Commissioner received a request from Hikvision for a meeting to discuss their Scottish operations. On 03 February, the Commissioner wrote to Hikvision agreeing to the meeting which took place in Edinburgh on 24 February. Copies...

https://www.biometricupdate.com/202302/scottish-opposition-presses-to-expand-biometrics-commissioner-oversight-role

The Scottish Biometrics Commissioner Dr Brian Plastow has today welcomed the publication of the ETIAG report which engages with contemporary debates around the panoply of technologies that will inevitably emerge in policing in Scotland in the years to come. The...

Statement by Scottish Biometrics Commissioner on the public space surveillance infrastructure in Scotland. Scottish Parliament Motion number S6M-07832 On Thursday 23 February 2023, Motion number S6M-07832 is due to be heard in the Scottish Parliament. The motion lodged by Alex...

The Biometrics and Surveillance Camera Commissioner for England and Wales Professor Fraser Sampson has recently published his annual report for 2021/22. Welcoming the report, the Scottish Biometrics Commissioner Dr Brian Plastow said: ‘I share and endorse the concerns expressed by...

In December The Commissioner participated in an interview for a SPITE+ sandpit on Future Digital Identity. The interview was shown as part of the 'provocation videos' the participants could watch in advance of the session. You can view the video...

On 26 January the Scottish Biometrics Commissioner Dr Brian Plastow met with the Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Veterans Keith Brown MSP. The meeting provided an opportunity for the Commissioner to thank the Cabinet Secretary, the Parliament Criminal Justice Committee,...

Welcome to the November newsletter from the Scottish Biometrics Newsletter. Since the last newsletter a lot has happened and in this newsletter I will update you on our progress.

Commissioner gives evidence to Scottish Police Authority Board meeting on his Annual Report and Code of Practice.

On Thursday 17 November, the Commissioner will be participating in an event hosted by the Leverhulme Research Centre for Forensic Science at the University of Dundee. This event will highlight some of the challenges concerning the application of digital forensic...

The use of DNA and other forms of biometric data for criminal justice and policing purposes in Scotland is appropriate and makes a valuable contribution to public safety, states a report published today (Tuesday, October 25, 2022). Confidence can be...