Germany’s Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) is calling on developers to submit background-removal software and device-based solutions for a new benchmark focused on facial images. The BGR-PROJECT, short for Background Removal Benchmark, aims to assemble what BSI calls a “representative and technically sound selection” of current background-removal algorithms for standardized evaluation, with submissions open until November 27, 2026.
Why background removal matters for passport photos
Background removal separates a person from their surroundings in a photograph so the subject can be recomposited onto a plain, uniform background, as required by identity-document standards including ISO/IEC 39794-5 and ICAO Doc 9303 for machine-readable travel documents. Those specifications are designed to prevent distracting shadows, patterns or objects behind a subject’s head from degrading image quality used for biometric identity verification. BSI notes that the task sounds simple but is technically difficult: isolating exactly where a person ends and the background begins without introducing artifacts that reduce facial image quality.
What the benchmark will measure
Once BSI collects submissions, the agency plans to use them to build a benchmark that scores background-removal tools on accuracy and consistency, giving passport and ID-document issuers and biometric vendors a standardized way to compare implementations rather than relying on vendor claims alone.
