---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Mon, 17 Dec 2001 13:11:55 -0500
From: Declan McCullagh
To: politech@politechbot.com
Subject: FC: U.N. meeting hears proposal for global human database, ID #s
http://www.smh.com.au/breaking/2001/12/14/FFX058CU6VC.html
Refugees meeting hears proposal to register every human in
GENEVA, Dec 13 AAP
Published: Friday December 14, 7:18 AM
Every person in the world would be fingerprinted and registered under
a universal identification scheme to fight illegal immigration and
people smuggling outlined at a United Nations meeting today.
The plan was put forward by Pascal Smet, the head of Belgium's
independent asylum review board, at a roundtable meeting with
ministers including Australian Immigration Minister Philip Ruddock
this afternoon.
Mr Smet said the European Union was already considering a Europe-wide
system, using either fingerprints or eye scanning technology, to
identify citizens.
But he said the plan could be extended worldwide.
"There are no technical problems. It is only a question of will and
investment," he said.
"If you look to our societies, we are already registered from birth
until death. Our governments know who we are and what we are. But one
of the basic problems is the numbers of people in the world who are
not registered, who do not have a set identity, and when these people
move with real or fake passports, you cannot identify them.
[...]
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