On February 7, 2026, the China Electronics Standardization Institute (CESI), the secretariat for the National Information Technology Standardization Technical Committee’s Subcommittee on Biometrics (SAC/TC28/SC37), released a summary of its work progress for the year 2025.
SAC/TC28/SC37, established in 2013, is dedicated to developing fundamental and generic technical standards for biometrics. Its scope includes terminology, technical interfaces, data interchange formats, technical implementation, testing and reporting, and societal and ethical considerations. The subcommittee covers diverse biometric modalities such as fingerprint, face, iris, finger vein, palm print, behavioral recognition, voiceprint, retina, odor, electrocardiogram, and multimodal biometrics. It serves as the domestic mirror body to ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 37 on Biometrics.
Throughout 2025, SAC/TC28/SC37 achieved progress in 2025 across organizational development, standardization activities, technical research, and international engagement. The third term of the subcommittee comprises one Chair, two Vice-Chairs, one Secretary-General, and 30 members. On December 30, 2025, the plan for the new composition of the subcommittee’s working groups was officially announced, with leadership assignments as follows:
- WG1 (Foundational Commonality): Led by SDIC Intelligence Information Technology Co., Ltd
- WG2 (Face Recognition): Led by Shanghai SenseTime Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd.; Deputy Leaders: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. and Mashang Consumer Finance Co., Ltd.
- WG3 (Iris Recognition): Led by Beijing Super Red Technology Co., Ltd.
- WG4 (Hand-based Recognition): Led by Zhejiang University
- WG5 (Genomic Recognition): Led by International Human Phenome Institute (Shanghai)
- WG6 (Behavioral Recognition): Led by Changchun Boli Electronic Technology Co., Ltd.
- SG1 (Frontier Technologies and Applications): Led by CESI
- AG (Domestic Technical Mirror Group for International Standardization): Led by CESI
In terms of standards development, the subcommittee published 14 national standards covering various aspects such as data interchange formats, sample quality, aging-friendly requirements, performance testing, and industry applications (e.g., rail transit), while initiating work on 8 new projects covering areas such as user interaction impact assessment, identity attribute verification, presentation attack detection in 2025. Regarding technology, industry, and standards exchange, member companies also shared their insights, such as “Portrait Privacy Protection Technology and Its Application in Video Surveillance Systems” (Huawei). In addition, a monograph titled “Application Case Collection of Biometric Technologies” was published in June 2025.
On the international front, SAC/TC28/SC37 actively participated in global standardization. In January 2025, it led a Chinese expert delegation to the ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 37 Plenary and Working Group meetings in Wellington, New Zealand, advancing proposals for China-led international standards. This effort continued in July 2025 at the Working Group meetings in Singapore, further promoting the progress of these initiatives.
The launch of SG1 (Frontier Technology and Applications) and AG (Domestic Technical Mirror Group for International Standardization) stands as the most significant development in 2025. SG1, directly led by CESI, represents direct state-level steering of emerging technologies. AG’s formation underscores a commitment to real-time alignment with international standards. European companies should closely follow and adjust to this state-orchestrated approach to frontier technologies. Moreover, the adoption of international standards is set to accelerate. The establishment of AG indicates China will move more quickly to integrate or benchmark against global norms. By participating through AG, European firms could gain early input into China’s standard-setting process, potentially lowering future market entry hurdles.
