back to article Australia to capture biometrics at the border under new law

Australia's Parliament has passed a law that will make it possible to collect biometric data, from citizens and visitors alike, at the nation's borders. The Migration Amendment (Strengthening Biometrics Integrity) Bill 2015, an amendment to the Migration Act of 1958, is explained as an effort to “streamline seven existing …

  1. John Tserkezis

    "The law's being sold as a security measure and, as such, will go down well with much of the Australian community"

    It'll go down well with much of the community, but not because of that reason. The real reason is that much of the Australian community are brain dead morons, and believe anything as long as who's talking manages to keep a straight face.

    But don't worry, the sheep will change their minds as soon as they realise that some of the biometric data involves anal probes.

    1. mr. deadlift

      that'll sthap those immigants stealin aussie jobs oi oi...

      ...oh fach me bali trip.

      i be all for glasnost before the government.

      and this is kind of one of those things - i think, up there with noodie body scanners you'd want to give a shite about.

      you know what? no average aussie bumpkin will give a flyin' bollock, and i think that ... that right there, is enough to make me give up ever thinking about being enfranchised again.

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Australia no longer accepting criminals?

    I thought that was its raisin d'etre*

    I'm all for catching criminals, but how are they going to do it? Is it a "read, check against known convicted criminals, get the answer and discard the biometrics?" I doubt it. I'd guess more like, "Haha, everyone wants out at some point so we'll tag pretty much the entire country even if that would create an immigration database too large to check against at border control." At what level do you stop people? Non-payment of a parking ticket? Public urination (a sex offence in some places)? Unpaid back-taxes in their country of residence? Petty theft? Do we move on people with accusations but no convictions? Reincarnation apparently is illegal in China. Are we sending the Dalai Lama home?

    Like AVM, Snowden, and the OPM crack, someone, somewhere is going to crack these biometric databases and spill their guts onto the internet. Then there may be a few countries which regret taking out the human element from border control.

    Where is all this data coming from - 5Eyes? Is there that much child trafficking between the 5Eye countries?

    I'm not sure how the issue with refugees fits in... oh wait, I know - the government has manage to persuade a large proportion of the population that seeking refuge is in itself a criminal activity if conducted using the wrong mode of transport. There's lots of talk about "illegal refugees" although unless someone has already been processed, I'm not sure how the determination is made that the refugee is seeking refuge illegally. Perhaps there are large numbers of known criminals showing up with their biometric passports on refugee boats, but surely, that would make them disqualified to seek refuge, not an illegal refugee. Is it it illegal to show up in a boat? Let's ask the First Fleet shall we? Nope, it wasn't illegal in the past, and it still isn't illegal. Its merely policy that We Don't Like You and we'll tow you away before you set foot in our beloved country (LoveItOrLeaveIt) where we would have to follow our own laws about what constitutes "human dignity." /rant

    --

    *currently

  3. Tim Worstal

    I thought the drop bear used its comfy bottom to stun its prey by falling onto it.....

    1. raving angry loony

      drop bear stun...

      He tucks and rolls at the last second perhaps?

  4. johnjonescode

    Indian system !

    unlike the american system its for citizens...

    iris is the only way to go and unlike fingerprints which can be left behind and have a large error rate...

    india did something like this with different motivations...

    http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/07/16/india_id_card_project/

    actually turned out nicely helping banking and such although there are plenty of faults...

    personally I don't mind iris but object to fingerprints but thats what the USA uses...

    John

  5. D Moss Esq

    Current and future uses of biometric data and technologies

    What was that, Woody Allen said? Oh yes:

    “It reminds me of that old joke – you know, a guy walks into a psychiatrist's office and says, hey doc, my brother's crazy! He thinks he's a chicken. Then the doc says, why don't you turn him in? Then the guy says, I would but I need the eggs.

    The House of Commons Science and Technology Committee conducted an inquiry into biometrics.

    Don't tell the Australians, they might think the government is wasting their money or taking the mick, but some of the testimony heard by the Committee was a little adverse.

    This, for example:

    From the viewpoint of conventional science, the forensic identification sciences are contenders for being the shoddiest science offered to the courts. After being in business for nearly a century, they still have developed little that would be recognised as a scientific foundation and, consequently, have little basic science to apply to their operational activities.

    And this:

    The judicial setting increasingly demands a robustness that will satisfy legal admissibility testing and there is strong evidence to support the growing concern that most current biometrics fail to have a sufficiently robust research foundation to reach a meaningful admissibility threshold.

    And this:

    Many current biometric methods receive only minimal scientific grounding and the rigour of testing can often be inadequate, making the degree of reliability and confidence in the biometric open to significant and justified challenge. As a consequence the results of the interpretation of biometric data derived from analysis, as well as the analysis itself, can be called into question by both the user and the assessor thereby generating distrust and suspicion ... We need more science in biometrics.

    It would be extraordinarily useful if today's mass consumer biometrics technology worked. So useful, in fact, that the mere fact that it doesn't is overlooked.

  6. johnjonescode
    Go

    unlike the american system its for citizens...

    iris is the only way to go and unlike fingerprints which can be left behind and have a large error rate...

    india did something like this with different motivations...

    http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/07/16/india_id_card_project/

    actually turned out nicely helping banking and such although there are plenty of faults...

    personally I don't mind iris but object to fingerprints but thats what the USA uses...

    John

  7. Big-nosed Pengie

    We-uns is jus' like Merka now!

  8. JaitcH
    WTF?

    ABOUT THE FIVE COUNTRY CONFERENCE

    The Five Country Conference (FCC) is a consortium of government immigration agencies from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, United Kingdom and the United States of America.

    The FCC aims to enhance the integrity, security and efficiency of immigration and border services and to improve client service across all five countries.

    In AUSTRALIA it's the Department of Immigration and Border Protection; in CANADA it's Citizenship and Immigration Canada and the Canada Border Services Agency. For NEW ZEALAND there are three - Immigration New Zealand, Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment. The UNITED KINGDOM has the UK Home Office and in the UNITED STATES there are two - US Department of Homeland Security and US Department of State.

  9. Zippy's Sausage Factory
    Big Brother

    Smells of 1984 to me

    Next stop - automated fingerprint readers that sound an alarm when someone's wanted for a crime. Preferably that loudly shouts "paedophile alert" so the other passengers don't try and assist you.

    Then, start making things that the government objects to illegal. A nice law a bit like Thailand's, to stop you criticising the government, that will do for a start.

    (Think I'm joking? Wait a couple of years...)

  10. MrTuK
  11. alain williams Silver badge

    Another country will soon be ...

    on my no-visit list.

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