'Key proposal is costly, unproven and intrusive'
EU Data Protection Supervisor slams 'smart borders'
19/07/2013 - 11:54am
The European commission's plans for 'smart borders' was heavily criticised by the European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) who said that a key proposal was "costly, unproven and intrusive."
"Improving the management of border controls is a legitimate exercise. But it would be more effective to do this once a clear European policy on the management of over stayers has been established," said the head of EDPS, Peter Hustinx.
"In the absence of such a policy, the creation of yet another large-scale IT database to store massive amounts of personal information is a disproportionate response to a problem that other recently created systems may be able to help solve. It would be prudent both economically and practically to evaluate the existing systems at least to ensure consistency and best practice," he added.
The EDPS advises the European Commission, the European Parliament and the Council on proposals for new legislation and a wide range of other issues that have an impact on data protection.
The system put forward by the commission relies on biometrics, especially a scan of all ten fingerprints to verify identities at borders. The EDPS say that this is too much and that only two to four prints are needed.
They also say that there is too much access proposed for law enforcement, noting a "general trend to give law enforcement authorities access to the data of individuals, who in principle are not suspected of committing any crime, is a dangerous one."
The EDPS strongly recommends that the precise added value of such access, compared with access to existing biometric databases, be identified.
The privacy people also caution over automating border entry, saying, "For example, the system will automatically calculate the length of stay of a visitor but the avoidance of mistakes through automation - for example, failure to register the exit of an individual because he is undergoing medical treatment or because of technical problems of the system - has not properly been addressed."
They add, "This is all the more urgent since the multiplication of databases in border management (such as VIS, SIS, CIS, EURODAC) makes it increasingly complicated for individuals to exercise their rights."
Another serious concern is the exchanging of data with third parties and nations. They note that "many third countries do not offer the same level of data protection as is offered in the EU." europe on line
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