In The Practical Nomad, Edward Hasbrouck reports on the recent open letter from a group of 39 privacy-minded organizations to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
The ICAO is developing standards for embedding biometric information in identity cards and passports. Such biometric information includes fingerprint, retinal scan and facial appearance. The standards also require contact-less RFID for reading the biometric information.
The ICAO's stated goal is to prevent illegal movement across borders and to catch terrorists. Unfortunately, the standards do not provide adequate security and protection of information. They also do not prevent governments and other marketers from collecting biometric data and using it for tracking and surveillance of all citizens.
The use of biometric information for identity is worrisome, without adequate specifications and controls. Biometric information should only be stored on the identity cards themselves and only used to compare with a live person. Such information should never be stored centrally in databases.
The use of RFID, allowing passive and involuntary biometric queries must be avoided. Individuals should stand against the use of RFID in government-issued identity documents. Governments should not be allowed to develop infrastructure that enables involuntary tracking and diminishes freedom of movement. |
