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Passport Biometrics

  • 15-01-2003 9:21pm
    #1
    spod
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 332 ✭✭


    Hi

    Firstly, count me in for this whole thing. I've got finals soon so I won't be able to do alot but I will try to help out in any way I can.

    Secondly, whilst the data retention bill is pretty nasty (even though alot of companies already do it, in violation of dpa), recent newsstories about plans to add biometric chips to passports have gotten my goat up much more.
    [See below for more]

    Thirdly, another good resource for the tinfoil hat, privacy/crypto freaks is the IrishLaw list and site.

    Now, back to the topic. I don't know much about it except for a few semi recent Irish Times Articles.
    Irish Visitors to US from 2004 must have microchip IDs in their passports

    By Jamie Smyth, Irish Times, 6th August 2002

    Irish citizens will lose the right to enter the US without obtaining a visa from October 2004 unless a microchip storing biometric data such as fingerprints or iris scans is embedded in new passports.

    full article...

    Irish pilot project on passports prepares for change to US law

    [URL=http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/ireland/2003/0110/2298437730HM4BIOMETRIC.html
    ]read more (subscribers only unfortunately)[/URL]

    Better not infringe the Irish Time's Copyright on a Civil Liberties board, so I won't paste the full article. Here's my summary instead.

    It's by Jamie Smyth again, on the 10th of January this year (some of you might sill have it lying around). Basically the government have set up a pilot fasttrack gate at Dublin Airport to process the new Bimetrically enhanced passports, which will initally be used by Civil Servent guinea pigs who consented to take part in the scheme. Which biometrics to embed on the passport has as yet not been decided, and the pilot is a response by the comms minister to a report which urges adoption of biometrics as well as the US law change.

    The report, Applying Biometrics to the Delivery of Public Services in Ireland, which was prepared by PA Consulting, also suggests using biometrics in the new credit card driving licenses (!!!) and in hospitals(!!!) and in hauliers ID cards.

    A pilot scheme for the hauliers ID cards is due to start later in the year. At the end of the article there's an ICLU quote: "The real danger is that this data could be used for purposes other than legitimate regulating of exit and entrance to a state . . . It is also a concern who has access to this data."

    There's also an article from the 23rd of August last year which is about plans for the Passport Office to go online and which says that KPMG are the main contractors and a requirement of the new scheme is that the new passports being designed will support biometrics.

    Phew.

    Not good. I've complained about it to my local TD already, next time any Ministers are speaking in college I intend to go along and try and ask questions about it. Unfortunately there seems to be no public consultation for me to register my displeasure planned as of yet anyway.

    michael


Comments

  • #2
    Victor
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 78,580 ✭✭✭✭Victor


    Hmmm. I'm not happy with another country dictating an (enhanced) standard for our passports.

    "People holding Irish passports issued before October 2004 will not be affected by the law until their current passports expire."

    Can all criminals please renew their passports before October 2004? :rolleyes:


  • #3
    ecksor
    Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators Posts: 10,501 Mod ✭✭✭✭ecksor


    Originally posted by spod
    Not good. I've complained about it to my local TD already, next time any Ministers are speaking in college I intend to go along and try and ask questions about it. Unfortunately there seems to be no public consultation for me to register my displeasure planned as of yet anyway.

    Considering that we've seen a NO vote in a referendum ignored (Ok, I'm not a constitutional expert, but my interpretation seemed to dictate that the government should have acted differently) and we are adopting a voting procedure with no method of spoiling a vote, (and no paper backup in case of dispute), I don't believe that the current government is inclined to give people forums to register their dissatisfaction.


  • #4
    dahamsta
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 16,659 ✭✭✭✭dahamsta


    Whatever about doing it here, they wouldn't have a hope of implementing the scheme Jamie outlined in his original article. They can't even get this kind of thing past their own citizens, even now, never mind past serious international pressure.

    Which isn't to say they won't try. But watch the ACLU and EFF when they try and implement it in the States. They'll go mental.

    adam


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