Unmasking Biometrics’ Biases

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.