NCJ Number
213114
Date Published
2005
Length
17 pages
Annotation
This chapter examines the implications of emerging database and biometric ID card systems that, in effect, create "border" control within the geographic borders of a nation, such that the social, economic, and political functioning of individuals and groups within a nation's borders are controlled.
Abstract
Current database and biometric ID card systems increase the surveillance capacities of ID cards in several ways. First, they are being introduced in a climate of fear and suspicion occasioned by dramatic attacks by terrorist groups that have crafted and implemented their plans through individuals who have moved freely within the countries whose citizens they have attacked. Second, they adopt a means of automated classification that restricts previous discretion and flexibility. Third, they are programmed according to personal data obtained from administrative and law enforcement sources as well as private databases. Fourth, information contained on ID cards as well as decisions made based this information increase controls on the freedom of movement and anonymity within a nation, thus constituting borders within borders. One danger of such smart ID cards is that they will increasingly bear information on the carrier that violates privacy rights. Another danger is that identifying and background information will be inaccurate. Also, terrorist profiles will increasingly determine how ID cards are programmed and used to monitor and control the actions and movements of individuals who may have some characteristics of these profiles. Finally, who is to decide what information will be carried on a card and what decisions regarding movement and accessibility are to be made based on that information? 35 references