Biometric passports, privacy at risk

Introduction of biometric passports: privacy risks. New criticism and concerns from experts.

BERN - New arguments against the introduction of biometric passports which will be called the Swiss people to express themselves by referendum on 17 May. The new devices, in fact, after the technical and policy concerns expressed in recent weeks, concern also from experts in charge of data protection.

The Swiss lawyer Hanspeter Thür and his colleague Peter Hustinx European deem inappropriate to store the information of citizens in one central database. This narrow, not covered by ' Schengen Agreement which Switzerland has recently joined, is likely to introduce disturbing scenes from "Big Brother" in the name of greater security.

According to the Federal Data Protection Manager, in fact, there is a real danger that this information is stolen or altered: risk common to all databases. Even "the best security the world will not prevent leaks within the administration itself," he added.

Thür also fears that a subsequent amendment to the law will allow then to use the data for purposes not currently provided, such as for police investigations or inquiries, setting up specific scenarios of global control. "It's typical perfectionist Swiss government," said Thur, "the state should only provide information on citizens strictly necessary to fulfill its duties."

In the same opinion is also the European counterpart. In an interview with "Berner Zeitung" Hustinx said welcome the decentralized solution chosen by Germany and said he was rather disappointed that their country, Holland, has opted for a centralized database such as that proposed in Switzerland.

According to the European head, it is better that biometrics will remain solely in the possession of the owner, and therefore are not stored in a single archive. Hustinx has also pointed the finger at the limits of technology: the quality of the fingerprint is not identical for each individual, the error margin - said with concern - is 4-5%.

Luca Spinelli (source ats)

• Switzerland, the incoming biometric passport: controversy
• Switzerland, stop the biometric passport?
• After the biometric passport comes the DNA bank