Half a million PCs can access Schengen's 'secure' database The number of computers with access to the Schengen Information System has doubled to 500,000 thanks to the extension of the EU. SIS is a shared information system used by police and border guards across Europe. Although the UK and Ireland declined to sign up fully, they still use the system. The figure of 500,000 computers …
"The number of computers with access to the Schengen Information System has doubled to 500,000 thanks to the extension of the EU".
It's a good thing every one of them is totally secure, as are the intervening routers, servers, and comms media.
And no one who would sell, or otherwise divulge, confidential information could get near any of them. (Actually, given how much Eurocrats earn and "earn", that might be nearly true).
The database wouldn't be much bloody use if only 5 people could acess it would it?
Given the pasting various public bodies get from the media for not 'connecting the dots' on crimes (see the incompetent German doctor case for the most recent example) what do you expect?
You can't have it both ways. Unless you're in the media of course, since you get to causea controvosy both ways without anybody calling out your hypocrisy.
For comparison sake, there's about 800,000 law enforcement officers in the U.S.
A lot, obviously, share computers in their cruisers, dispatch desk, or (for customs) at checkpoints.
A lot such as detectives have their own assigned laptop. My State Police assign a cruiser to each Trooper, so each also has their own laptop they can use in the cruiser or bring into an office when filling out reports.
Security on the databases, like any system, relies on accountability. That can vary; Massachusetts last year the Attorney General investigated reports of widespread abuse, but concluded too many departments had implemented too weak of administrative controls -- such as common logons on dispatch computers so that queries couldn't be reliably pinned on a specific user.
The FBI was not happy. While they have policies that can sanction individuals and departments which violate the access policies by yanking their permission to national systems, it's not like it's practical to shut off access across many agencies in a single state.
" as well as documents on missing firearms, vehicles and missing documents"
At least they have fully documented the documents that they have lost...
or at least documented the way they lost the documents that they lost...
I wonder if they have lost any lost documents, documents? in which case they would have fully documented that loss of lossed documented documents docs...
maybe it's too early for this... more tea!
"It is well known that the greater the points of access, the greater the number of people who have access and the greater the chance that data will be misplaced, lost or illegally accessed."
It's also well known that if you give the British Government access to any computer system (even their own) then either:
a) someone will download large chunks of it and leave their laptop on a train...
b) someone will print out large chunks of it and leave their breifcase on the train...
The Schengen system is for visa applications and associated intelligence. Surely we should provide read only access to everyone, then perhaps we might be able to spot when we are employing an illegal or when we come across someone "iffy" using an alias.
As far as I am concerned the more the merrier, can we link it to the NHS database so that we don't provide free healthcare to illegals too. Not just that, I have sponsored people to come to the UK and have been responsible for their healthcare costs, yet on three occasions they had to have medical treatment and I was not asked to pay a penny. So Schengen V3.1 can extend the database to sponsors and red flag those who have been involved in dodgy applications (I know they don't do this because I have made a few myself!!).
If we can add fingerprints to the database and then open it up to employers to verify their foreign workers against the database so we can avoid those nasty 10k per employee fines.
Oh and although it sounds obvious how about the border control take fingerprints and Retina scans on Non-EU nationals as they come into the country (making a digital copy of their passport at the same time) so that even if they bin them we can repatriate them even when the illegals bin them.
I had to provide fingerprints and retina scan on a recent visit to the US, I was actually quicker than passport control elsewhere in the EU going through the blue channel.
Hey remember that case last week of the "poorly qualified" foreign Doctor who killed a patient, can we use the Schengen system for that too, because we would never have allowed him to practice medicine here if he had come directly but another EU state was and once he got their OK we were forced to allow him to practice here.
Now you have to guess whether I am serious!!
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