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2025-10-31
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Copyright (c) 2025 Naseer Sabbar Lafta, Rasem Mseer Jasim, Samar Adnan Mahmoud Ali, Mysoon Ali, Ammar Abdulkhaleq Ali

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How to Cite
Biometric surveillance in environmental protection: Legal, ethical, and social-psychological perspectives
Naseer Sabbar Lafta
Al-Turath University, Baghdad 10013, Iraq
Rasem Mseer Jasim
Al-Mansour University College, Baghdad 10067, Iraq
Samar Adnan Mahmoud Ali
Al-Mamoon University College, Baghdad 10012, Iraq
Mysoon Ali
Al-Rafidain University College, Baghdad 10064, Iraq
Ammar Abdulkhaleq Ali
Madenat Alelem University College, Baghdad 10006, Iraq
DOI: https://doi.org/10.59429/esp.v10i10.3943
Keywords: Biometric surveillance; environmental protection; legal frameworks; ethical safeguards; social trust; compliance psychology; global standards; public acceptance.
Abstract
Environmental protection is another area where biometric surveillance technologies have been employed to monitor illegal deforestation, poaching and industrial pollution. Though such systems lead to higher detection rates (by 22-36%), shorter response times (by up to 75%), their use has complex legal, ethical, and social-psychological issues. The study investigates governance structures, stakeholder views and community approval in a mixed method research design, which included legal analysis, three case studies, a survey (N = 1000; margin of error +-3%) and semi-structured interviews (N = 55: law enforcement = 20, policymakers = 15, environmental agencies = 10, civil society = 10). Consent and an ethics clearance were given to all participants. Findings indicate complete access to legal systems and perceived access to protections like encryption and privacy-by-design results in increased trust, compliance, and perceived legitimacy. These are most languorously held by the young, and most feeble by the old (65% and 45% as I have already indicated). The trans-regional analysis tells us that we simply cannot afford to be segregated on international standards. The modeling validation R2 values range was 0.71 to 0.82. Efficiency is not an issue in isolation, but it has been established that efficiency is a social issue, a trust issue, a fairness and transparency issue among the individuals employed in these institutions. This would include the elevation of the law and ethics and psychology to the same level in order to make good use of it.
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