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EU votes to create gigantic biometrics database

zdnet.com

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Re: EU votes to create gigantic biometrics database

#51

Post by sgift »

raxxorrax wrote: post #35
mschuster91 wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Simple: Poland and Hungary are under multiple investigations for turning their systems to "illiberal democracies". Austria is on the list because their right-wing party FPÖ is in control of the security agencies (both police and secret service and military), which has led other EU countries to restrict information exchange with their secret services ( https://www.handelsblatt.com/politik/international/spionage-... ).…

I feel the need to defend "illiberal democracies" once again: They didn't implement this shit. They would certainly like to, but they are not the problem. The current problem is the EU as an institution that implements policies based on fear. Not some fringe parties with limited success... You just don't point the finger on someone incontinent while your pants are soaked. Totally not classy.

> They didn't implement this shit.

Without the EU council - the assembly of the countries - saying yes there's no new law in the EU. Therefore, saying they didn't implement this shit is wrong. If they didn't want to, they could have stopped it. They also still can stop it if they want to. The vote of the parliament is not the last step. The council has to agree.

http://www.europarl.europa.eu/about-parliament/en/powers-and...

Apart from that most of the legislation that the commission initiates is done because the EU council asked the commission for it. So, the countries asked for this in the first place.

Re: EU votes to create gigantic biometrics database

#52

Post by raxxorrax »

sgift wrote: post #51
raxxorrax wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I feel the need to defend "illiberal democracies" once again: They didn't implement this shit. They would certainly like to, but they are not the problem. The current problem is the EU as an institution that implements policies based on fear. Not some fringe parties with limited success... You just don't point the finger on someone incontinent while your pants are soaked. Totally not classy.

> They didn't implement this shit. Without the EU council - the assembly of the countries - saying yes there's no new law in the EU. Therefore, saying they didn't implement this shit is wrong. If they didn't want to, they could have stopped it. They also still can stop it if they want to. The vote of the parliament is not the last step. The council has to agree. http://www.europarl.europa.eu/about-parliament/en/power…

Sure, and those other governments just fell on the wrong button. Complete distortion of the current political landscape.

edit: ... and legislative process.

Re: EU votes to create gigantic biometrics database

#53

Post by C1sc0cat »

dfawcus wrote: post #33
Daniel_sk wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Interesting fact. I thought that having an ID card is pretty much mandatory in whole EU. In Slovakia you get one at age of 15 (I think) and it has biometric data - picture and fingerprints. You are not required by law to carry it with you, but it can cause delays if need to be verified by police or other authority. It’s also used to login into e-gov services with a card reader and your pin - but it’s quite limited at…

Definitely not in the UK. We had them after WWII until sometime in the 50's when they were removed due to abuse by the authorities. Hence there is still a distrust of them. The scheme recently introduced and then scrapped could have had some interesting consequences. This is part of why we have such "fun" with the free movement provisions, in that we do not have a population register. Nor a requirement to keep the au…

I think it was when the wartime id cards where up for renewal the civil service wanted it - but parliament thought it smacked to much of "Gestapo" as Churchill put it.

Re: EU votes to create gigantic biometrics database

#54

Post by Mirioron »

Xelbair wrote: post #26
zaarn wrote: post #6

Merging existing databases into one big one might be more accurate but that's modern journalism.

Well they are creating a new database, from old datasets(that live in separate databases). so technically you are both right. Also having it centralized allows for new features(fast cross-country lookups for example)

It also allows for more abuse, because the weakest link determines that.

Re: EU votes to create gigantic biometrics database

#55

Post by coldtea »

garmaine wrote: post #43
eega wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I doubt that it is a goal to make it easier for foreign intel agencies to get this data. But I also strongly doubt that they are capable of preventing it ...

No one said it's a goal. Just reality.

Grantparent above literally said it's a goal.

Re: EU votes to create gigantic biometrics database

#57

Post by craydandy »

ahje wrote: post #18
dijit wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Most people have ones issued by banks Mine was issued by Skatterverket which is the tax agency, no? Surely that's "Government issued ID". In fact, I had to give them my fingerprint and iris scan when I got my card. (Although I have been denied entry when coming back from Copenhagen with it; "It is not a travel document" was the reasoning which is completely against the Schengen agreement.)

I was rather shocked when I tried to get across from Copenhagen to Malmö with a Finnish national ID card, only to discover it wasn't valid valid for entering Sweden. Luckily they saw reason and let me through after a while but it must be horrible for the daily commuters. When I lived in Copenhagen a few years back the commuters numbered in the 10000's. I can imagine that number has gone down a lot recently.

I had a similar situation last November, when an over-eager Lufthansa check-in officer denied boarding the plane because I was using a Finnish national ID card. I was travelling from Finland to Croatia and the explanation was that Croatia had enabled passport checks on border and ID card is no passport.

No amount of explanation helped. I did have my passport with me and I showed it to this lady. Rest of the trip I used only the ID card.

Common theme seems to be, at least in Finland, that dealing with public agencies and authorities is just fine, but you can get to a trouble with private companies.

Re: EU votes to create gigantic biometrics database

#60

Post by amatix »

dfawcus wrote: post #33
Daniel_sk wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Interesting fact. I thought that having an ID card is pretty much mandatory in whole EU. In Slovakia you get one at age of 15 (I think) and it has biometric data - picture and fingerprints. You are not required by law to carry it with you, but it can cause delays if need to be verified by police or other authority. It’s also used to login into e-gov services with a card reader and your pin - but it’s quite limited at…

Definitely not in the UK. We had them after WWII until sometime in the 50's when they were removed due to abuse by the authorities. Hence there is still a distrust of them. The scheme recently introduced and then scrapped could have had some interesting consequences. This is part of why we have such "fun" with the free movement provisions, in that we do not have a population register. Nor a requirement to keep the au…

FYI, any non-British citizens living in the UK (excepting EU for now) are being forced towards getting Biometric Residence Permits with any visas/renewals... a plastic card containing photos/biometrics and a big ID number on it. And biometrics are collected every time you cross the border.
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