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Posted on 08/24/2003 2:04:48 PM PDT by demlosers
NEW YORK — Biometric technology that scans faces, fingerprints or other physical characteristics to confirm people’s identities is about to get a public test at U.S. border checkpoints.
Yet significant questions loom about whether the U.S. and foreign governments can meet an Oct. 26, 2004, deadline set by Congress for upgrading passports and visas to include biometrics.
“This is the mother of all projects — there’s no question about it,” said Joseph Atick, chief of Identix Corp., a maker of biometric systems.
With fingerprint and face scanners due to be in place at air and sea ports by the end of this year and biometric visas and passports beginning to get into the hands of travelers next year, U.S. officials hope to keep the wrong people out while letting the right people in without delay.
Biometric systems reduce patterns in a person’s fingerprints, irises, face, voice or other characteristics to mathematical algorithms that can be stored on a chip or machine-readable strip.
The technology has been used for years to secure sensitive corporate and government facilities, and to help state motor-vehicle departments keep people from getting multiple licenses.
Foreigners with visas or passports issued after Oct. 26, 2004 will have to carry biometric identifiers in those documents if they want to enter the United States.
The proposed use of biometric technology has raised concerns about civil liberties (Photo: Notat) EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - EU citizens will have their fingerprints stamped on their passports or undergo an iris scan as from next year, under proposals to be drawn up by the European Commission.
These measures partly stem due to a US law enacted in 2002, which will start demanding visas from EU citizens from 26 October 2004 if they do not have biometric information (fingerprints, iris scans or DNA) on their passports.
US fight against terrorism The US will be using this biometric information in addition to existing screening processes that identify potential terrorists or criminals.
Since March 2003, US authorities have had access to most European airline passenger databases, where EU passengers are screened before they land on US soil.
The European Commission, which will present its proposals on the issue next month, stressed that these measures will not lead to a harmonised EU passport, but will only introduce similar security features.
"The EU will not only upgrade its passports but also meet the deadline set by the US," the Commission spokesperson for Justice and Home Affairs told EUobserver.
The EU is also planning to introduce biometric data on visas and residence permits of third country nationals residing in the EU from next year, as a means to counter illegal immigration.
Citizens kept in the dark Although EU heads of state and governments meeting in Greece last week gave the green light for such plans, so far there has not been any public consultation.
"The adoption of this decision for the wholesale surveillance of peoples' movements by the EU Council has been taken without any public consultation or debate in parliaments. The EU Council cannot legislate but its decisions are routinely translated into EU law - it is a totally undemocratic procedure," Tony Bunyan, editor of Statewatch, a civil liberties organisation said.
Mr Bunyan said that the aim of these measures will be to record the people's movements and sees it is a very poor way of countering terrorism. He is also concerned about the level of information which could be stored and who would be able to access such information.
"What information is going to be held? We need to have a proper debate on this", Mr Bunyan told EUobserver.
EU ministers are expected to discuss the Commission's proposal to include biometric information on visas and passports in an informal Justice and Home affairs meeting in September.
The Commission's proposal to extend this system on EU passports is expected at the end of this year.
http://www.euobserver.com/index.phtml?aid=11837
Of course, this new policy excludes Mexican illegal aliens who will continue to be allowed by our federal government to casually stroll over our southern border unchallenged.
FReepmail me to be added or removed...!
This one strikes close to home. Some gov't agencies are now requiring their personnel (and their contractors) to submit a fingerprint and photo to receive a common access card, the stated purpose of which is to give individuals public keys for digitally signing and/or encrypting e-mail.
1. Issue visas only to properly vetted aliens.
2. Use appropriate technologies to ensure identities and visas don't change hands.
3. Seal the borders against illegal, uninspected entries.
The wireheads in our Govt may get #2 fixed with things such as biometrics. This is meaningless, however, so long as the State Dept (with the tacit approval of Congress", continues, in step 1, to rubber-stamp visas for dangerous groups such as adult male muslims. Number 3, of couse, isn't anywhere close to fixed today, with our land borders remaining porous disaster areas.
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Does anyone know what company the US is going to contract for this?
I agree with you. It's like putting an extra lock on a door that's already secure, and leaving all of the other doors wide open. But, we're probably supposed to get that warm fuzzy feeling that the government is actually doing something!!
Nope...my tagline applies to this one.
On the other hand, maybe that's was the plan all along.
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