DefinitionIn forcev1.0.0

Biometric identification

A one-to-many comparison against a database, to be distinguished from the one-to-one verification of point 36.

The official source remains authoritative. This is general information about obligations and not legal advice. See this object on the map

Address and citation

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Identifier: praxikon:eu:ai-act:definition:definitie-biometrische-identificatie
Payload hash (sha256): 0c3eeaee7409efa91d2f46e04aa682d173ed02d56c169d19b6bb7f7923710a33

Citation line

Praxikon, "Biometric identification", praxikon:eu:ai-act:definition:definitie-biometrische-identificatie@1.0.0, dataset praxikon:sys:registry:dataset:ai-act-implementation-graph 2.1.0 (schema 1.4.0), effective_at 2026-08-08T00:00:00.000Z, known_at 2026-08-14T00:00:00.000Z, sha256 0c3eeaee7409efa91d2f46e04aa682d173ed02d56c169d19b6bb7f7923710a33

Version: 1.0.0
Legal time (effective_at): 8 August 2026
Knowledge time (known_at): 8 August 2026
Closed on: Not closed
Application date: 2 February 2025
Topics: definitions

Review status: Placed against the official source (8 August 2026). Next check due by 4 February 2027. The check date is the knowledge date of this version; no later recheck has been recorded.

What this object links to

Every relation appears below as a path: from the source with its locator, through the conditions and exceptions of the object carrying the relation, to the consequence. A locator belongs to a statement in the data and not to a relation, so the source is the source anchor of the carrying object.

What this object is about

3 of 3 shown

The object is about this role. Undifferentiated: it does not follow that the duty rests on this role.

Source
Official fact on this object, with its locator.
- EU Artificial Intelligence Act 2024/1689
  Locator: Article 3(35)-(36)
  praxikon:eu:ai-act:source:reg-eu-2024-1689
  Open official source
Via
No condition or exception recorded on this object.
Consequence
- ActorDeployer
  praxikon:eu:ai-act:actor:deployer
- ActorProvider of an AI system
  praxikon:eu:ai-act:actor:provider
- ActorBody governed by public law
  praxikon:eu:ai-act:actor:public-law-body

What this object states

Official fact

Attributable to a named primary source, with a locator. Where they differ, the official source prevails.

Article 3(35) defines biometric identification as the automated recognition of physical, physiological, behavioural, or psychological human features for the purpose of establishing the identity of a natural person by comparing biometric data of that individual to biometric data of individuals stored in a database. Point 36 separately defines biometric verification as the automated, one-to-one verification, including authentication, of the identity of natural persons by comparing their biometric data to previously provided biometric data.
- Locator: Article 3(35)-(36)praxikon:eu:ai-act:source:reg-eu-2024-1689Open official source

Our interpretation

Our own reading. It can change without the law changing, and it is not the position of a supervisory authority.

Identification and verification are used interchangeably in conversations with suppliers, while the difference determines the regime. Identification is one-to-many: the system searches for who someone is by comparing against a database holding data on individuals. Verification is one-to-one: the system confirms whether someone is who they claim to be. Access control with a face scan against the employee's own badge record is verification; a camera running faces past a watchlist is identification. A detail that is rarely noticed: point 35 also mentions psychological features, while the definition of biometric data in point 34 does not.
- Locator: Article 3(35)-(36)praxikon:eu:ai-act:source:reg-eu-2024-1689Open official source

Recommended step

A practical step we consider appropriate. Not an obligation following from the Regulation.

Record in writing for each biometric application whether the comparison is one-to-one or one-to-many, which database is compared against and who controls that database. Ask for this as a hard requirement during procurement, because vendor material rarely speaks in these terms and the answer determines whether you end up in Article 5 or in Annex III.
- Locator: Article 3(35)-(36)praxikon:eu:ai-act:source:reg-eu-2024-1689Open official source

When this applies

No condition recorded on this object.

When this does not apply

No exception recorded on this object.

Referring to this object

Citation block

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Reference

Praxikon, "Biometric identification",
praxikon:eu:ai-act:definition:definitie-biometrische-identificatie@1.0.0,
dataset praxikon:sys:registry:dataset:ai-act-implementation-graph 2.1.0 (schema 1.4.0),
effective_at 2026-08-08T00:00:00.000Z, known_at 2026-08-08T00:00:00.000Z,
sha256 0c3eeaee7409efa91d2f46e04aa682d173ed02d56c169d19b6bb7f7923710a33,
https://www.praxikon.com/en/verkenner/definition/definitie-biometrische-identificatie
(https://www.praxikon.com/api/v1/entities?id=praxikon%3Aeu%3Aai-act%3Adefinition%3Adefinitie-biometrische-identificatie&effective_at=2026-08-08&known_at=2026-08-08&lang=en, accessed 2026-08-23)

Short form

praxikon:eu:ai-act:definition:definitie-biometrische-identificatie@1.0.0 (sha256 0c3eeaee)

BibTeX

@misc{praxikon-eu-ai-act-definition-definitie-biometrische-identificatie-1-0-0,
  author       = {{Praxikon}},
  title        = {Biometric identification},
  year         = {2026},
  version      = {1.0.0},
  number       = {praxikon:eu:ai-act:definition:definitie-biometrische-identificatie},
  howpublished = {AI Act Change \& Evidence Graph, dataset 2.1.0, schema 1.4.0},
  note         = {effective_at 2026-08-08T00:00:00.000Z; known_at 2026-08-08T00:00:00.000Z; sha256 0c3eeaee7409efa91d2f46e04aa682d173ed02d56c169d19b6bb7f7923710a33},
  url          = {https://www.praxikon.com/en/verkenner/definition/definitie-biometrische-identificatie},
  urldate      = {2026-08-23},
  language     = {en}
}

CSL JSON

[
  {
    "id": "praxikon:eu:ai-act:definition:definitie-biometrische-identificatie@1.0.0",
    "type": "dataset",
    "title": "Biometric identification",
    "container-title": "AI Act Change & Evidence Graph",
    "publisher": "Praxikon",
    "version": "1.0.0",
    "number": "praxikon:eu:ai-act:definition:definitie-biometrische-identificatie",
    "URL": "https://www.praxikon.com/en/verkenner/definition/definitie-biometrische-identificatie",
    "language": "en",
    "issued": {
      "date-parts": [
        [
          2026,
          8,
          8
        ]
      ]
    },
    "accessed": {
      "date-parts": [
        [
          2026,
          8,
          23
        ]
      ]
    },
    "note": "dataset praxikon:sys:registry:dataset:ai-act-implementation-graph 2.1.0; schema 1.4.0; effective_at 2026-08-08T00:00:00.000Z; known_at 2026-08-08T00:00:00.000Z; sha256 0c3eeaee7409efa91d2f46e04aa682d173ed02d56c169d19b6bb7f7923710a33; retrieved_from https://www.praxikon.com/api/v1/entities?id=praxikon%3Aeu%3Aai-act%3Adefinition%3Adefinitie-biometrische-identificatie&effective_at=2026-08-08&known_at=2026-08-08&lang=en; licence https://www.praxikon.com/nl/legal/terms"
  }
]

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