December 2025 IT Standards: Age Assurance, Biometrics, Digital Procurement & More

The December 2025 release of international Information Technology standards ushers in a wave of advances for security, data management, health informatics, procurement, and digital collaboration. In this third installment of our IT standards roundup, we review five pivotal standards shaping everything from age assurance frameworks and biometric enrolment to electronic procurement architectures and BIM-based communication. These new documents establish fresh benchmarks for compliance, interoperability, and risk management—making them essential for IT professionals, business leaders, compliance officers, and researchers who want to remain at the forefront of technology and regulatory change.

Overview / Introduction

Information Technology continues to transform every sector, with evolving standards acting as the backbone for secure, efficient, and reliable digital solutions worldwide. The ongoing publication cycle ensures that organizations can navigate increasingly complex legal, cybersecurity, privacy, and operational requirements. Whether you handle biometric data, engage in digital construction management, or streamline public procurement via electronic means, staying current with the latest standards is crucial for risk mitigation and innovation.

In this article, you'll discover:

• The scope, purpose, and impact of five new IT standards published in December 2025.
• Key compliance requirements, technical frameworks, and best practices.
• Strategic guidance for implementation and navigating new expectations across industries.

Detailed Standards Coverage

ISO/IEC 27566-1:2025 - Framework for Age Assurance Systems

Information security, cybersecurity and privacy protection — Age assurance systems — Part 1: Framework

This foundational standard introduces a comprehensive framework for age assurance systems—platforms and processes that verify or estimate an individual’s age to ensure proper access to age-restricted content or services. The document defines essential methods (verification, estimation, inference), data processing requirements, and accountability for age assurance providers, intermediaries, and relying parties.

The framework prioritizes privacy by design, data minimization, strong security controls, user awareness, inclusivity, and effective audit mechanisms. Notably, this standard addresses the risks of data misuse, spoofing, replay attacks, and other cybersecurity threats, and offers performance and privacy metrics to benchmark system effectiveness.

Who should comply:

• Online service providers managing age-restricted services (e.g., gaming, social media, e-commerce)
• Consumer protection agencies and regulators
• Technology intermediaries and third-party verifiers

Practical implications: Implementers must develop systems capable of accurate, low-friction age attribution while upholding stringent privacy and security standards—critical for both regulatory compliance and maintaining user trust.

Key highlights:

• Framework covers age verification, estimation, and inference methods.
• Privacy, security, and inclusivity are central to design and operation.
• Performance measurement and auditability are mandatory.

Access the full standard:View ISO/IEC 27566-1:2025 on iTeh Standards

ISO/IEC TS 29196:2025 - Guidance for Biometric Enrolment

Information technology — Guidance for biometric enrolment

As biometric authentication becomes mainstream across government, finance, and consumer services, this technical specification delivers in-depth guidance for implementing biometric enrolment processes. It steers organizations through best practices for capturing, storing, and managing biometric data—addressing factors like stakeholder roles, system policies, enrolment officer training, and legal/privacy considerations.

The document is broadly applicable, spanning national and local government programs, closed enterprise systems, and consumer self-enrolment use cases. It standardizes criteria for data quality, security, usability, and stakeholder responsibilities, and also covers scenarios where different modalities (face, fingerprint, iris, vein) are integrated.

Who should comply:

• Organizations deploying biometric systems in identity, access management, or customer authentication roles
• Developers and integrators of biometric technology platforms
• Policymakers overseeing privacy and data protection in biometrics

Implications: Ensures consistent, secure, and privacy-preserving enrolment procedures—minimizing errors and legal exposures while improving user experience and system reliability.

Key highlights:

• End-to-end enrolment lifecycle guidance: from procurement to operation
• Data security and privacy controls are mandatory throughout
• Application-specific recommendations: attended vs. self-enrolment

Access the full standard:View ISO/IEC TS 29196:2025 on iTeh Standards

ISO/TR 18728:2025 - Health Informatics: Global Medicinal Product & Batch Registration

Health informatics — Global medicinal product and ingredient and batch registration as part of identification of medicinal products (IDMP)

This technical report showcases the expanding landscape of global medicinal product registration and traceability, providing a critical bridge between health informatics, supply chain security, and regulatory compliance. It explores real-world implementations of medicine verification, authentication systems, and traceability tools, and maps out pathways for global, standardized product, ingredient, and batch identifiers (in line with the IDMP framework).

By harmonizing supply chain tracking, this document enhances public safety, enables efficient recalls, prevents counterfeits, and supports cross-border healthcare operations. The standard tackles the challenges of distributed data management, variability in regional practices, and integration with GS1®, GTIN®, and other identifier schemes.

Who should comply:

• Pharmaceutical manufacturers and distributors
• Healthcare supply chain managers
• Regulatory authorities and global health organizations

Practical implications: Facilitates design and deployment of international verification and traceability solutions, simplifies regulatory audits, and enables seamless interoperability in healthcare logistics.

Key highlights:

• Outlines benefits of adopting global product, ingredient, and batch IDs
• Provides analysis of regulatory, technological, and data challenges
• Highlights current and emerging traceability practices worldwide

Access the full standard:View ISO/TR 18728:2025 on iTeh Standards

ISO 29481-2:2025 - BIM Information Delivery Manual: Interaction Framework

Building information models — Information delivery manual — Part 2: Interaction framework

For complex asset management and digital construction projects, effective information delivery and communication between stakeholders is vital. This updated standard presents a robust methodology for describing and managing digital interactions—enabling secure, high-quality, and traceable communication across all asset lifecycle stages.

The interaction framework (IDM) concept promotes process context clarity, digital message validation, and seamless interoperability with software solutions. By standardizing project roles, transactions, and digital communication protocols, the standard streamlines data-driven collaboration in construction, facility management, and related domains.

Who should comply:

• Construction and facilities managers implementing BIM
• Software vendors building collaborative platforms
• Project managers, architects, engineers, and asset owners

Implications: Provides a foundation for digital workflows, supports regulatory compliance, and ensures data provenance/security in multi-actor environments.

Key highlights:

• Formalizes digital IDM communication and interaction schemas
• Ensures traceable, auditable communication processes
• Boosts interoperability and information quality throughout asset lifecycles

Access the full standard:View ISO 29481-2:2025 on iTeh Standards

CEN/TS 17011-4:2025 - Technical Architecture for Electronic Public Procurement

Electronic Public Procurement - Architecture - Part 4: Technical architecture

This technical specification defines the reference architecture for electronic public procurement (eProcurement), produced by CEN/TC 440. The standard sets out the technical foundation for business interoperability specifications—crucial for governments, suppliers, and solution vendors operating in Europe's digital procurement ecosystem.

The document details the alignment with the European Interoperability Reference Architecture (EIRA), describes the 4-corner model for secure, compliant data exchange, and specifies transport infrastructure requirements (including security, privacy, eID, archiving, and traceability). It also addresses integration with other transaction systems and ensures future-proof, modular deployments for both pre- and post-award phases.

Who should comply:

• Public sector procurement authorities
• IT providers for eProcurement platforms
• Suppliers engaging with public sector contracts

Practical implications: Ensures compliance with EU interoperability mandates, reduces complexity, and lowers risks tied to digital procurement innovation.

Key highlights:

• Technical architecture harmonized with EU frameworks (EIRA)
• Security, privacy, and eID requirements embedded
• Modular, extensible for evolving business needs

Access the full standard:View CEN/TS 17011-4:2025 on iTeh Standards

Industry Impact & Compliance

These new standards represent a significant leap forward in terms of both technical sophistication and regulatory alignment:

• Business Impact: Organizations must assess their IT solutions for readiness, especially where they handle personal data, digital identities, healthcare products, or public procurement transactions.
• Compliance Timelines: Early adoption is advisable, particularly for businesses operating in regulated industries (pharma, healthcare, public sector, finance). Non-compliance can lead to increased operational risks, cyber incidents, reputational damage, and legal sanctions.
• Benefits:
  • Improved data security and privacy.
  • Enhanced operational and supply chain transparency.
  • Streamlined digital collaboration and procurement.
  • Future-proofed systems aligned with leading practices.
• Risks of Non-Compliance:
  • Regulatory penalties and contractual losses.
  • Data breaches and business interruption.
  • Reduced market access and lost competitive advantage.

Technical Insights

Across these standards, several technical requirements and best practices emerge:

• Security & Privacy by Design: Mandated in age assurance and biometric enrolment frameworks; all personal or sensitive data must be protected using robust encryption, access controls, and minimization techniques.
• Interoperable Architectures: The eProcurement and BIM standards stress modular, standards-based integration to enable multi-vendor collaboration and upgrades.
• Traceability & Auditability: Across healthcare, procurement, and BIM workflows, digital traceability and full audit logs are now baseline expectations—supporting regulatory reviews and incident response.
• Testing & Certification: Many standards recommend or require formal testing and certification, especially for public-facing or safety-critical applications.
• Process Mapping & Quality Assurance: Digital communication and data capture processes must be mapped, documented, and periodically reviewed for improvement.

Conclusion / Next Steps

The December 2025 updates to international Information Technology standards pave the way for heightened regulatory compliance, technical agility, and trust in digital services. Whether you manage user data, deploy biometric security, optimize health supply chains, digitize communications in construction, or handle electronic procurement, early adoption is the surest route to business resilience.

Next steps for organizations:

1. Review each relevant standard in detail with your compliance, IT security, and line-of-business teams.
2. Map regulatory requirements to current workflows.
3. Launch update/upgrade projects where gaps are found.
4. Stay subscribed to iTeh Standards for the latest authoritative guidance on new and upcoming publications.

Explore these and other IT standards now:Visit iTeh Standards

Stay informed, stay compliant, and position your enterprise to lead in a secure, connected, and compliant digital future.