Korea’s Personal Information Protection Commission: FIDO-Based Biometric Authentication Not Classified as Sensitive Data Processing

No need for user consent for personal data collection with a FIDO-based system (local biometric storage and matching)

In March 2023, the Financial Security Institute (FSI) released a guide distinguishing between server-based and FIDO-based biometric authentication systems, outlining the strengths and weaknesses of each. However, it stopped short of providing clear guidance on whether biometric data processed via FIDO systems required user consent—leaving many security professionals uncertain.

Due to this ambiguity, FSI had been conservatively recommending that companies obtain user consent for biometric data collection. This created unnecessary hurdles for organizations adopting FIDO technology, despite its architecture being inherently privacy-preserving.

To resolve this, OCTATCO, a leading provider of biometric authentication solutions, submitted an official inquiry to the Korean government via e-People, the national petition and inquiry platform. In response, the Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC) formally clarified last month that FIDO-based biometric authentication, where data is stored and verified locally, does not constitute sensitive information processing.

Jinsoo Kwon, Director of Sales at OCTATCO, commented:

“This clarification significantly reduces compliance burdens for CISOs and security teams. By not requiring consent for biometric data use, FIDO adoption becomes simpler and more scalable. More importantly, because biometric data is never stored on a central server, FIDO technology offers strong protection against data breaches.”

This announcement is expected to accelerate the adoption of FIDO authentication across the finance and enterprise sectors in Korea and beyond, particularly among organizations aiming to strengthen privacy compliance while enhancing security.

By Min-kwon Gil, mkgil@dailysecu.com

[Read the original Korean article here]