back to article Government joins European fingerprint database

The Home Office has opted in to the Eurodac fingerprint database, which collects the fingerprints of asylum seekers and some illegal entrants to the European Union. Immigration minister Damien Green said in a parliamentary written statement, published on 11 January, that the move will help member states determine who is …

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  1. Evil Auditor Silver badge

    Who's responsible?

    "determine who is responsible under the Dublin Regulation for dealing with an asylum claim"

    Ah yes, like e.g. Italy which, very inexplicably, sometimes forgets to record the data of its first-time asylum seekers...

  2. JaitcH
    FAIL

    Sick joke: "... protecting Britain's civil liberties ..."

    Pray tell me, how many remain?

    Plod can search people on a whim; Plod can look at your images/video; UK government databases cross-linked for easy profiling; DNA collected and stored for years; taking pictures of children inference of perversion; taking pictures of historic/old/famous buildings potential terrorism use; presumption of guilt in TV licence investigations; train-spotting is potential terrorism preparation; all electronic communications filtered for sigint/or tapped; mail is opened. Unlimited house arrest control orders. InterNet access subject to filtering.

    At least air is free.

    Good news for oldies/seniors ... fingerprints become increasingly difficult to take once you hit your 70's. For you tykes there's always arsenic applied to hands followed by dermatologist abrasion - leaves a very satisfying hatch pattern!

    The coalition honoured the killing of the national DNA/fingerprint database, as promised.

    British civil liberties? Not too many to protect.

  3. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    I was going to ask...

    what would happen with the data. But that seems clear enough:

    "The data of asylum applicants is kept of 10 years unless the individual obtains the citizenship of one of the EU countries, in which case their data is immediately erased."

    And that seems reasonable. Except of course that being granted asylum doesn't automatically mean obtaining citizenship. It means you are granted permission to stay. It's only a bunch of years after you've lived in the country and completed a sackload more silly paperwork that you also get full citizenship. Which means that the 10 year timeout is more likely to kick in than the "immediate" erasing after obtaining citizenship.

    Even so, and that is assuming this database data removal will actually be executed as advertised which sadly is quite the assumption, this means that it's easier to get out of and harder to get into than various national databases such as the police database containing fingerprints, dna, sweat and farts and whatnot else of everyone who is brought up to any police station for any reason whatsoever.

  4. dssf

    Imperilment?

    On top of that, depending on the country from which the asylum-seeking individual came, said person could be imperilled. If that person is deported or denied or prematurely flagged on the side s/he abandoned, s/he could be "punished" or his/her family and friends back home could be put at risk. But, then, this wouldn't be anything new, although checking by computer might mean the people left behind may know sooner than later that they are being interrogated or ostracized.

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Flame

    Perhaps the UK should spend some money reviewing the asylum seekers it has.

    Waiting years for a decision is both inhumane and inefficient.

    However it also gives time for any bogus ones to register them (and their family) with various services, knock up the partner to play the "But the little ones have never known life in my homeland" card and get in a bit of spare untaxed cash from a friendly builder.

    Because there is such a shortage of cowboy builders in the UK it has to import them from elsewhere.

    Of course he still might be genuine. That police file (with photographs) seems pretty genuine. Lucky he had just enough time to get it copied while the family were getting packed. Lucky also he and the family flew straight to Britain so they can't be deported back to whatever part of the EU they first touched down in first.

    Anon because I am not a racist and this is an accurate description of at least one case in the files. The question is how many more are like it?

  6. P. Lee
    Flame

    Fingerprint database fields

    Currently Used:

    FAS - failed asylum seeker

    CFN - Convicted Felon

    Reserved for future use:

    NYC - Not Yet Convicted

    NYA - Not Yet Accused

    NPP - Not Popular with Politicians

    BFB - Bad For Business

    NNJ - Not Non-Jewish

    "But it seemed like a good idea at the time!"

  7. John Smith 19 Gold badge
    Joke

    Found a use for that Gordon Brown thumb print?

    Could be.

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