Biometric technology is advancing fast, with both security and legislation having a hard time catching up. This report provides crucial information regarding legislation, standardization, specifications, and initiatives in the context of biometric technologies and applications. Industry trends, legislative restrictions, as well as data privacy frameworks, will also be outlined in order to provide a clear depiction of what to expect in the future from governmental and regulatory authorities. Further, the report provides criticisms and insights regarding the future evolution of legislation and standardization. In addition, the report outlines vital aspects of existing standardization and compliance schemes, and which concepts existing and emerging vendors need to take into account in order to avoid any potential standardization pitfalls.