"Registering Refugees Using Personal Information Has Become the Norm – But Cybersecurity Breaches Pose Risks to People Giving Sensitive Biometric Data"
In 2022, the number of refugees worldwide reached high levels as over 108.4 million people have been forced to leave their homes due to persecution or violence. In the meantime, governments and aid organizations increasingly use biometrics for identifying and tracking refugees. Biometrics involves the collection of a person's physical or behavioral characteristics, such as fingerprints or voice. Organizations that collect personal physical data can store it in order to immediately identify a person, for example, by scanning their fingerprints or irises. The United Nations refugee agency, or UNHCR, is among the organizations that have expanded their biometrics programs in recent years to help identify refugees and provide lifesaving help. Joseph K. Nwankpa, a cybersecurity scholar at Miami University, believes it is essential to remember that while identifying people with biometrics may be convenient for organizations gathering the data, the practice poses inherent privacy risks that can endanger the safety of vulnerable individuals. This article continues to discuss Nwankpa's insights regarding the biometrics data-gathering process and cybersecurity challenges associated with biometrics.