EU directive on privacy and electronic communications
Filter by...
-
EU plans database of visa applicants' biometrics
The EU Commission plans to store biometric data taken from visa applicants in the planned Visa Information System (VIS). This was decided as part of a proposed regulation, which was already due in late 2004, but was delayed until 7 January 2005. The delay seems to be due to technical problems with stacking multiple RFIDs […]
Read more
-
More than 400 million EU Citizens and residents to be fingerprinted
The European Union’s Council of Ministers has decided, during its meeting yesterday, Monday, 13 December, to treat 400 million EU subjects like criminals. By the beginning of 2008, every EU citizen and resident – with the exception of people living on the British isles and possibly in Denmark – will be fingerprinted when applying for […]
Read more
-
Rush vote European Parliament on biometrics
It is likely that the Council of European Justice and Home Affairs ministers will adopt a regulation tomorrow, on 3 December 2004, to fingerprint all EU citizens and residents, to take digital photographs of their faces and to store these data in a gigantic database of 450 million EU citizens. This will be the last […]
Read more
-
UK government pushes ahead with national ID card
The UK government is pushing ahead with plans for a compulsory national ID card. The Identity Cards Bill was announced in the Queen’s Speech, which sets out the government’s legislative programme for the coming year, and introduced in the House of Commons on 29 November. The Bill is virtually unchanged from a draft published for […]
Read more
-
Dutch EU presidency launches new JHA programme
The Dutch presidency of the EU has launched a new 5 year programme for Justice and Home Affairs. The previous five year plan, the Tampere Programme, was launched under the Finnish presidency of the EU. The new ‘Hague Programme’ was discussed at the Brussels European Council on 4 and 5 November and will be presented […]
Read more
-
EU governments want 2 biometric identifiers for every citizen
On 25 October 2004 Members of the Europarliament Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) voted on a proposal from the Council of Ministers to include a biometric identifier in EU passports and visas of travellers with EU destinations. While the MEPs were discussing the technical implications and privacy guarantees, behind their back […]
Read more
-
European Commission infringes EDRI's Intellectual Property Rights
The European Commission, otherwise known as being in favour of taking rigorous action against infringers of Intellectual Property Rights, is an infringer itself. On its e-Government news site, the Brussels executive body published, on October 14, an Article about a biometrics hearing at the European Parliament that is almost entirely made up by snippets from […]
Read more
-
Biometrics: EU Council wants to fingerprint every EU citizen
The European Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) will vote today in Strasbourg on two important reports on the introduction of biometric identifiers in EU travel documents. Both reports – on “Visas, residence permits: uniform format, photo, biometric identification” and on “Biometrics in EU citizens’ passports” are shepherded by MEP Carlos […]
Read more
-
Biometrics experts sceptical about quick introduction
The Europarl Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) today organised a hearing with experts on biometrics. In his opening remarks the MEP Carlos Coelho (Conservative, Portugal) said he generally agreed with the objective of securing people’s identities, but has some doubts about adding biometric identifiers to travel documents. Coelho is the rapporteur […]
Read more
-
Article 29 Working Party criticises biometrics in visas
The Article 29 Working Party (all the EU Data Protection Authorities) has released an opinion on the inclusion of biometrics in visa and residence permits for third country nationals. The EU is planning to introduce biometric identifiers in visa and residence permits and to establish a information system on visas (VIS). The visa and permits […]
Read more
-
U.S. delaying biometric passport deadline
The U.S. House of Representatives has voted for a year-long delay of demanding visa waiver countries to introduce biometric passports for their citizens. The 2002 Border Security Act demands from 27 countries the inclusion of chips with facial images in their passports, in order to continue participation in the US visa waiver programme. A deadline […]
Read more
-
Recommended reading: privacy and biometrics
The OECD working party on information security and privacy have published a very informative but dry report about biometrics. The report analyses theory and practice of the following major biometric-based technologies: finger-scanning, hand geometry, facial recognition, iris scanning, retinal scanning, finger geometry, voice recognition and dynamic signature verification. A brief description of other, more obscure […]
Read more