Global Big Data Conference

Alongside the rapid increase in the number of facial-recognition video sensors being installed in public locations, the protection of a person's biometric data is now escalating into new legal territory. Earlier this week, Seattle, Washington-based Getty Images, a well-known global visual image creator and marketplace, introduced what it says is the image industry's first enhanced model release form. It's a digital document that considers the growing importance of biometric data used for the training of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) applications. This data, when it falls into the wrong hands, can be sold on the black market and used to facilitate identity theft and in ways that lead to personally targeted ransomware, malware and other types of cyberattacks. Developed with input from the Digital Media Licensing Association (DMLA), which supports business standards in visual content, the new form provides clarity and guidance regarding how data, including visual content, can be tracked and handled appropriately to protect the personal and biometric data captured by content creators.