The Scottish Biometrics Commissioner Act 2020 established the office of Scottish Biometrics Commissioner and provides for its functions.P> The Commissioner is independent of Scottish Government and was appointed by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on the nomination of the Scottish Parliament.

The Commissioner’s general function is to support and promote the adoption of lawful, effective and ethical practices in relation to the acquisition, retention, use and destruction of biometric data for criminal justice and police purposes by Police Scotland, the Scottish Police Authority (SPA) and the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner (PIRC).