ISO/IEC TR 20322:2023

TECHNICAL ISO/IEC TR
REPORT 20322
First edition
2023-03
Information technology — Cross-
jurisdictional and societal aspects
of implementation of biometric
technologies — Biometrics and elderly
people
Technologies de l'information — Aspects sociétaux et
transjuridictionnels de la mise en œuvre des technologies
biométriques — Biométrie et personnes âgées
Reference number
© ISO/IEC 2023
© ISO/IEC 2023
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Published in Switzerland
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© ISO/IEC 2023 – All rights reserved

Contents Page
Foreword .iv
Introduction .v
1 Scope . 1
2 Normative references . 1
3 Terms and definitions . 1
4 Abbreviated terms . 1
5 Fundamental concepts . 1
6 Elderly people in terms of age . 2
7 Critical points associated to the use of specific biometric modalities by elderly
people . 2
7.1 General considerations. 2
7.2 Fingerprint recognition . 2
7.2.1 Typical characteristics of an elderly person which can have consequences
on fingerprint recognition: skin conditions . 2
7.2.2 Typical pathologies experienced by elderly people which can have
consequences on fingerprint recognition . 3
7.2.3 Data concerning the use of fingerprint recognition by elderly people . 4
7.3 Face recognition . 4
7.3.1 Typical characteristics of elderly people which can have consequences on
face recognition . 4
7.3.2 Typical pathologies experienced by elderly people which can have
consequences on fingerprint recognition: neuromuscular problems . 4
7.3.3 Data concerning the use of face recognition by elderly people . 4
7.4 Iris recognition . 5
7.4.1 Typical characteristics or pathologies of an elderly person which can have
consequences on iris recognition . 5
7.4.2 Data concerning the use of iris recognition by elderly people . 6
8 Critical points which affect multiple modalities . 6
9 Practical issues involved in the implementation of biometric systems used by
elderly people .6
9.1 Cognitive challenges . 6
9.2 Acceptance of biometrics in the elderly people population . 7
10 Conclusions . 7
Bibliography . 8
iii
© ISO/IEC 2023 – All rights reserved

Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) and IEC (the International Electrotechnical
Commission) form the specialized system for worldwide standardization. National bodies that are
members of ISO or IEC participate in the development of International Standards through technical
committees established by the respective organization to deal with particular fields of technical
activity. ISO and IEC technical committees collaborate in fields of mutual interest. Other international
organizations, governmental and non-governmental, in liaison with ISO and IEC, also take part in the
work.
The procedures used to develop this document and those intended for its further maintenance
are described in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1. In particular, the different approval criteria
needed for the different types of document should be noted. This document was drafted in
accordance with the editorial rules of the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2 (see www.iso.org/directives or
www.iec.ch/members_experts/refdocs).
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject
of patent rights. ISO and IEC shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent
rights. Details of any patent rights identified during the development of the document will be in the
Introduction and/or on the ISO list of patent declarations received (see www.iso.org/patents) or the IEC
list of patent declarations received (see https://patents.iec.ch).
Any trade name used in this document is information given for the convenience of users and does not
constitute an endorsement.
For an explanation of the voluntary nature of standards, the meaning of ISO specific terms and
expressions related to conformity assessment, as well as information about ISO's adherence to
the World Trade Organization (WTO) principles in the Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) see
www.iso.org/iso/foreword.html. In the IEC, see www.iec.ch/understanding-standards.
This document was prepared by Joint Technical Committee ISO/IEC JTC 1, Information technology,
Subcommittee SC 37, Biometrics.
Any feedback or questions on this document should be directed to the user’s national standards
body. A complete listing of these bodies can be found at www.iso.org/members.html and
www.iec.ch/national-committees.
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© ISO/IEC 2023 – All rights reserved

Introduction
This document provides support for the further development of ISO/IEC International Standards on
biometrics in the context of cross-jurisdictional and societal applications of biometrics, in relation to
usage with elderly persons.
The contents of this document are descriptive and do not provide recommended practices and
guidelines.
Examples of the benefits to be gained using this document are:
— operational support in using biometrics applied to the context of elderly people;
— enhanced acceptance by subjects of systems (elderly people and relatives) using biometric
technology;
— improved public perception and understanding of these systems;
— smoother introduction and operation of these systems.
The primary stakeholders are identified as:
— users – those who use the results of the biometric data;
— developers - those who develop technical standards;
— subjects – those who provide the biometric sample;
— writers of system specifications, system architects and IT designers;
— public policy makers - those who make policies affecting the use of biometrics.
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© ISO/IEC 2023 – All rights reserved

TECHNICAL REPORT ISO/IEC TR 20322:2023(E)
Information technology — Cross-jurisdictional and societal
aspects of implementation of biometric technologies —
Biometrics and elderly people
1 Scope
This document builds upon the information provided in ISO/IEC TR 24714-1, ISO/IEC TR 29194 and
ISO/IEC 29138-1 in order to highlight in a more detailed way the medical, physical and cognitive aspects
that are specific for the use of biometrics by elderly persons.
2 Normative references
The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content
constitutes requirements of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For
undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.
ISO/IEC 2382-37, Information technology — Vocabulary — Part 37: Biometrics
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the terms and definitions given in ISO/IEC 2382-37 and the following
apply.
ISO and IEC maintain terminology databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:
— ISO Online browsing platform: available at https:// www .iso .org/ obp
— IEC Electropedia: available at https:// www .electropedia .org/
3.1
elderly person
every human being over the age of 65 years
Note 1 to entry: For an explanation of why 65 years has been chosen as the age defining an elderly person, see
Clause 6.
4 Abbreviated terms
DG Directorates-General of the European Commission
EU European Union
JRC Joint Research Centre of the European Commission
UN United Nations
5 Fundamental concepts
ISO/IEC TR 29194:2015, Clause 2 states:
“There is a basic principle of designing biometric systems in a way that they can be used effectively and
with minimum discomfort by the whole target population. There is also the need of reaching a common
© ISO/IEC 2023 – All rights reserved

understanding of the target population and an agreement of what is reasonably possible. This brings the
requirement of designing biometric systems following the best possible guidance to create systems that are
accessible”.
ISO/IEC 29138-1:2018, Clause 1 states:
“This document identifies a collection of user accessibility needs that diverse users have of ICT systems to
make these systems accessible to them. Each user accessibility need might be required of a system by an
individual. Different users can have different sets of user accessibility needs in different contexts”.
The issues raised in these two documents are particularly evident in the biometric context because age-
related psychophysical complications often combine with a degradation of the biometric characteristics
of the individuals.
The consequences are that elderly people often experience serious difficulties in using a biometric
system.
6 Elderly people in terms of age
Although it cannot be considered as a general rule, and the UN-agreed age for referring to the elderly
population is 60+ years, many countries have accepted the chronological age of 65 years as a definition
of an 'elderly' or older person.
This document follows the latter convention and uses the definition provided in 3.1 when referring to
"elderly people".
7 Critical points associated to the use of specific biometric modalities by elderly
people
7.1 General considerations
The following subclauses provide a brief description of some typical characteristics of elderly people
that can have a potential consequence on specific biometric technologies. They also consider certain
pathologies which are frequently experienced by elderly people.
NOTE Although the focus of this document is on elderly people, some pathologies can also occur at an earlier
age.
The biometric technologies analyzed in this document are those which are most prevalent in their
use. If the use of a further biometric technology becomes particularly widespread in the future, such
technology will be considered in subsequent revisions of this document.
7.2 Fingerprint recognition
7.2.1 Typical characteristics of an elderly person which can have consequences on fingerprint
recognition: skin conditions
In elderly people, water loss from the stratum corneum, the outermost layer of the epidermis, can make
[1]
skin dry (xerosis). This can result in an inconsistent contact of the finger ridges with the scanner's
[2]
platen surface, which can cause broken ridges and several white pixels replacing ridge structure.
Furthermore, the differentiation between ridges and valleys reduces as ridges wear out with age. As a
result, for a contact scanner, it can become difficult to capture a good quality fingerprint.
NOTE With the implementation of contactless fingerprint scanning technologies, this issue is lessened, and
could potentially be eliminated in the future.
© ISO/IEC 2023 – All rights reserved

Consequently, it can be pertinent to evaluate whether fingerprint recognition is the appropriate
biometric to use for elderly people (particularly those aged over 70) in certain situations.
EXAMPLE The US VISIT Entry/Exit systems exempts persons over the age of 79 from releasing fingerprints
during the phase of verifying the credential to access to the USA at an entry point.
If contact fingerprint sensor technology is used, some scanner manufacturers provide elderly people
with appropriate moisturizing solutions to be applied prior to fingerprint capture.
An advantage of using sub-dermal or touchless fingerprint sensors is that they are less affected by
changes to the surface of the skin.
7.2.2 Typical pathologies experienced by elderly people which can have consequences on
fingerprint recognition
7.2.2.1 Arthritis and arthrosis
An elderly person's ability to use a fingerprint device can be severely limited by arthritis, arthrosis or a
loss of motor performance. Consequently, the quality of images captured by fingerprint sensors can be
affected in the population of elderly people.
NOTE It is not advisable to treat unintentional poor fingerprint presentations due to age-degraded motor
functions as a presentation attack to the fingerprint system.
A solution for overcoming such issues is to re-capture the fingerprint until image quality is sufficient
for system processing or, again, use touchless fingerprint sensors.
7.2.2.2 Neuromuscular diseases
Neuromuscular disease is a very broad term that encompasses many diseases and affections that impair
the functioning of the muscles, either directly (pathologies of the muscles), or indirectly (patholog
...