Security1 min read
Biometric data: what to know before enrolling
A fingerprint cannot be changed like a password. Before enrolling your employees, here are the principles that protect both the institution and the people.
Biometric data is personal data of a special kind: it identifies a person permanently. The Congolese Digital Code governs the protection of personal data, and the European GDPR often serves as a reference for institutions working with international partners. Beyond the law, a few common-sense principles apply.
1. Inform employees
Before enrolment, every employee should know why their data is collected (attendance and payroll), who has access to it, how long it is kept and how to exercise their rights. A clear staff memo is worth more than ten rumours.
2. Collect only what is necessary
To clock in, the employee has to be identified — nothing more. OPTimes uses biometrics only for that. Other data (position, assignment, grade) belongs in the standard administrative file.
3. Identify on the terminal, keep encrypted
Fingerprint or face matching happens on the terminal. To avoid re-enrolling an employee who moves site, the platform can keep biometric templates — but only encrypted, with a key held outside the database. No template leaves through the interface or the logs.
4. Limit access
Only authorised administrators manage enrolment, and every operation is recorded in the audit log. A manager sees their team’s clock-ins, never the biometric data.
5. Plan for departures
When an employee leaves the institution, their biometric data must be deleted from the terminals and the platform. This belongs in the exit procedure, just like handing back the badge.
All the technical measures are detailed in HR data security and on our Security page.
Frequently asked questions
Where does fingerprint recognition take place?
On the terminal. The platform keeps templates only encrypted, to avoid re-enrolment when an employee moves site.
Can a manager see their team’s fingerprints?
No. They see their team’s clock-ins; biometric management is reserved for authorised administrators and is logged.
