The proposals, announced by the UK government on 4 November, include the establishment of a new biometrics regulator focused on overseeing law enforcement use of biometric technologies.
The regulator will also contribute to the development of a separate legal code of practice for private sector organisations using facial recognition and similar systems.
The government has emphasised, however, that the code will recognise the different legal and operational contexts in which businesses and law enforcement agencies deploy biometric tools.
The announcement comes at a time when biometric technologies are being adopted in increasingly diverse settings.
The organisation has also called for clear legal thresholds governing when facial recognition technologies can be used outside law enforcement settings.