On August 11, 2025, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of
Canada (OPC) published guidance (Guidance)
for private-sector organizations on their privacy obligations under
the Personal Information Protection and Electronic
Documents Act (PIPEDA) when handling biometric information.
The guidance stems from a consultation process on a draft version
of the guidance launched by the OPC on October 11, 2023.
What Is Biometric Information?
As technological security risks evolve and computer processing
power reaches new heights, biometric technologies promise unique
solutions to a range of identity and verification problems. The
Guidance describes "biometrics" as "the
quantification of human characteristics into measurable
terms," including physiological biometrics or biological
characteristics such as fingerprints and DNA, and even behavioural
biometrics (distinctive characteristics of individuals'
movements or gestures, such as keystroke patterns or voice).
