Articles (Part 1) – Contemporary Big Data Practices in Historical Perspective

Unmasking Biometrics’ Biases: Facing Gender, Race, Class and Ability in Biometric Data Collection

Authors:

Abstract

The article investigates the role of identity and the body in biometric technologies, contesting the conception that biometrics are neutral. It discusses biometrics’ exclusionary effects with regards to gender, race, class and ability, among others, by unveiling its historical links to nineteenth-century pseudoscientific practices. It does so through an analysis of Zach Blas’ Facial Weaponization Suite, an artistic critique of this dominant conception that draws attention to biometrics’ contested history and its current implications for marginalised identities.

Keywords:

Biometricsartgenderraceanthropometry
  • Year: 2018
  • Volume: 21 Issue: 2
  • Page/Article: 89-105
  • DOI: 10.18146/2213-7653.2018.368
  • Submitted on 11 Mar 2019
  • Published on 1 Nov 2018