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The EU will soon have the largest hoard of biometric data on earth – and travellers could suffer

09 December 2024

The Telegraph, 9 December 2024.

"From the EU’s controversial new entry rules (which will soon require non-citizens to register their fingerprints before entering the Schengen area) to the growing use of similar biometric data in airports and at the border, data harvesting is only becoming a bigger part of the travel experience, whether we like it or not. But why is it happening?

“The main reason has been the unprecedented level of state cooperation around security issues,” says Chris Jones, director of the civil liberties watchdog Statewatch. He highlights the use of numerous UN resolutions – typically backed by the US, Russia, and China – calling for the use of biometric data to combat terrorism.

Jones points to the particular example of PNR (Passenger Name Record) data, by which airlines are often mandated to record the names, passport numbers and payment details of their passengers on behalf of government authorities. The practice became compulsory for US-bound flights in the wake of 9/11 but has since expanded in reach and scope.

“The mass gathering of this data makes it easier for authorities to use algorithms to do what’s called rules-based targeting,” he says. In theory, the system is meant to help identify potential security threats. In practice, it can mean passengers being held up or grounded just because their data happens to match someone else’s."

Full article here.