EU Law & the Biometric Revolution - Cut Through the Complexity - Webinar

Introduction

Biometric technologies, from facial recognition at border controls to voice authentication in banking apps, are rapidly transforming how organisations verify identity and secure access. Yet these powerful tools that analyse our unique physical and behavioural characteristics sit at the intersection of innovation and fundamental rights.

Under the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), biometric data processed for unique identification constitutes a special category of personal data, triggering heightened protection requirements and strict processing conditions. As enforcement actions multiply and landmark court decisions reshape the landscape, organizations deploying voice recognition, facial scanning, or keystroke analysis face an evolving web of compliance obligations.

This webinar will cut through the complexity and deliver practical guidance on biometric data processing under EU law. It will examine the Article 9 framework, explore the limited grounds for lawful processing, and analyse pivotal CJEU rulings and national supervisory authority decisions that are defining permissible uses. Whether you are implementing employee authentication systems, customer verification tools, or access control measures, you will leave with clarity on where the legal red lines lie and how to navigate them.

What You Will Learn

This webinar will cover the following:

• The GDPR biometric framework: Master Article 9's special category protections, understand when biometric data qualifies for heightened regulation, and identify the narrow legal bases available for processing voice prints, facial templates, and behavioural biometrics
• Case law that's reshaping compliance: Analyse landmark CJEU decisions and national court rulings on workplace biometric surveillance, 2FA and law enforcement processing
• Practical risk assessment: Learn how to conduct data protection impact assessments for biometric systems, evaluate necessity and proportionality, and implement appropriate safeguards to withstand supervisory authority scrutiny
• Enforcement trends and penalties: Review recent decisions from EU data protection authorities on unlawful biometric processing, understand common compliance pitfalls, and discover what triggers investigations and significant fines
• Emerging challenges: Explore how the AI Act intersects with GDPR obligations for biometric systems, anticipate regulatory developments on the horizon, and prepare for evolving standards in biometric authentication and identification

This pre-recorded webinar will be available to view from Monday 9th February 2026

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