The Dilemma of Data Security in Crisis Situations

Since the advent of this global pandemic, governments worldwide and their health authorities have been accused of privacy breaches and overreach because of increased surveillance and tracking of primarily infected patients, their recent physical connections and people on their contact lists, but also of the public in general.

Governments are caught in a dilemma, where they need to protect the public on the one hand, while on the other hand they have enacted data privacy laws to protect the personal information of citizens.

The Need to Navigate Data Privacy

Companies need to navigate this data privacy environment while also providing solutions to assist businesses and governments to implement and manage guidelines.

Governments have in some cases suspended the implementation of, or created loopholes for, data privacy laws as well as other laws, because of the pandemic’s impact. However, in some cases these legal loopholes are not clearly defined, so new technology providers in the biometrics and data security sectors, such as Gorilla still need to be aware of the compliance requirements.

Data Privacy Concerns and Solutions

Artificial intelligence software that performs computer vision tasks like facial recognition is facing many concerns regarding how data is acquired, processed, and stored. Specifically, concerns of personal location and identity data have been brought up as of late. Currently, data standards and data best practices as policy are the agreed upon answer to these concerns.

Location and Identity Data

The main concern for Gorilla is where a video camera system is in operation and using IVAR™ and BAP to process information for the purpose of facial recognition – which is the most sensitive item of personal information when it is linked to a person’s identity. This would potentially include the scenario where face mask detection is used. Solutions that aid organizations in regulating access to their premises are in high demand. The goal is to safeguard employees’ health, making sure that face coverings are being worn and that employees accessing the workplace do not have a high temperature. However, the use of biometrics for access control has proven to be controversial for the workforce going back to the office. Smart City solutions and Smart Surveillance systems have also been received with skepticism, as facial recognition plays a key role in the architecture of such innovations.

In the commercial sector, Smart Retail solutions will be less affected provided that the data collected is used for statistical purposes (such as people counting), or to ensure customers keep social distance. Temperature scanning with IR cameras is in the same category as people counting – it is not personal information per se, unless combined with other identification data.

Certified Data Standards and Systems

The current ISO management security certifications can serve as a basis to build from in order to develop a more secure handling and storage system for private information. Systems Integrator partners can place a disclaimer notice next to or near the camera system notifying patrons of the use of the facial recognition software, if any.

Implementation of Data Privacy Best Practices

Gorilla’s solutions are GDPR friendly as we don’t store any facial recognition images in our system. Our partners could schedule a regular and recurring time slot to erase the data based on the laws and regulations in their deployed countries. In addition, network security is a priority at Gorilla. As a trusted solutions provider to various government entities, we have experience collaborating in highly sensitive projects where data security is of the utmost importance.

Where We Go from Here with Data Privacy

Gorilla continuously works to minimize risks to itself and to the data subjects by requesting or highlighting to our partners and customers that they properly handle the private information in line with the laws and regulations.

In complying with the GDPR, other data privacy laws in other countries, and together with our partners, we can avoid possible sanctions by the authorities and ensure we are safeguarding people’s privacy. By making sure they comply with local data privacy laws and regulations and by implementing necessary procedures for data processing, recording, safe keeping and deletion or release, risks can be minimized by Systems Integrators or Technology Partners.

Gorilla is implementing its current privacy policies and also developing inter-company agreements for data processing from its affiliates, partners and end-users, while strengthening its security management procedures.

Final Thoughts on Data Privacy for a Better Tomorrow

The new world that is unfolding in front of us will require the use of new technologies to ensure that we can tackle future social health threats. Caution towards the use of solutions requiring private data usage is corollary to the rapid changes we’re experiencing. The transformation, albeit fast and starkly different to what we’re used to, should not be simply deemed Orwellian. Transparency, healthy control systems and the commitment of all parties involved in abiding by these principles will become crucial, as they will be the most effective way to protect us against the infringement of privacy.

Visitor Management Systems: There Must Be a Better Way

Giving a schedule of expected visitors to reception is a common part of day-to-day operations for most business professionals. Typically, the only two pieces of information you pass to reception is the visitor’s name and what time you’re expecting the visit. Have you ever wondered if there’s a better system to manage/control visitor and guest access?

Corporations are constantly seeking out and embracing new technologies to enhance their visitor management systems. For many businesses, visitors no longer need to exchange their ID for a visitor badge – some corporations will register your visit prior to the meeting and the system will log it. This helps corporations monitor foot traffic and also provides a layer of safety to employees, yet still leaves some questions about the visitors unanswered.

The Challenge of Current Visitor Management Systems

More advanced visitor management systems enable us to track who will be visiting today, tomorrow and in the following weeks. However, let’s not ignore that the receptionist still needs to interact with and identify the visitor using limited information. After reaching out to multiple businesses and building managers in professional spaces, we discovered that there are even more issues that arise when using a system like this:

Visitors provide the wrong information when scheduling a visit.
The visitor is actually an unwelcome guest but provides false information in order to sneak into the office.
An ex-employee leaves the company on bad terms and has threatened to come back to the office and make a scene.

The above are the most common and real situations that happen in office buildings all over the world. What can be done about these oversights?

With recent improvements in biometric and facial recognition technology, there is now a better way to secure corporate safety on the front line and streamline visitor management.

Smart Access Control for Visitor Management

A quick internet search shows that more technology providers are offering biometric solutions like fingerprint scans to improve physical access control. We are no longer limited by using pin codes or RFID cards to swipe in and get building access. Businesses, however, are not able to collect biometric information prior to guest visits. Enter facial recognition.

This new approach to access control is innovative and straight forward. This smart access control system operates something like this: the staff inputs the visitor’s contact information along with an image of their face prior to the visit, the system then logs the profile and automatically issues a badge for the visit, and when the visitor’s face is scanned for identification & verification upon arrival, they are admitted to the building. This technology means no more incorrect visitor information, no more impersonators gaining entry, and ensured safety from disgruntled employees. To add even more value, the person at reception doesn’t need to be there to identify the visitor anymore as the entire process has become automated.

Smart Access Deployment for Visitor Management

Leveraging facial recognition and access control concepts gives us flexibility to transform outdated visitor management systems into proactive ones. Smart access control deployment is something that Gorilla Technology leads the field in and is well-versed in assisting companies making this transition. Using facial recognition in video analytics to improve visitor management systems can be applied in many scenarios.

By utilizing Gorilla edge AI technology to realize truly smart buildings, we can now create visitor management systems that give better guest experiences while increasing safety for everyone.

Gorilla Blog

All posts by : Andries Schutte