Sharing data among countries strengthens regional security
UNIPATH STAFF
Terrorists using stolen and phony passports to evade capture will have difficulty crossing borders as countries continue to enhance security using biometric technology and data sharing.
More than 80 countries, including Afghanistan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, employ electronic passport programs that incorporate biometric data. Many others mandate biometric enrollment of immigrants. Fingerprints, iris scans and facial characteristics are some of the data that help to identify individuals.
What makes biometric identification so effective is that these physiological characteristics cannot be lost, forgotten, stolen or forged. Of the billions of people on Earth, no two possess the same biological markers, such as DNA, fingerprints or finger veins.
This type of authentication is critical. For example, terrorists are known to disguise themselves as refugees to cross borders. Biometric identification also helps prevent human trafficking and identify stolen passports.
Biometric border systems are even more useful when countries share information, widening the net to capture criminals.
Widening the net
Plans are underway to link biometric data among members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) — Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The joint database will prevent convicted and deported expatriates from entering other GCC countries, as well as help capture wanted criminals. This isn’t the first time the six member states have coordinated — GCC countries routinely share immigration data. This cooperation has led to the capture of criminals, but the new initiative will be a more cohesive and effective mechanism to secure borders from criminals and terrorists.
“The issue of security in GCC states has never been more important. The terror threat to our societies is pressing and real. The new biometric verification of travelers’ details will contribute to our continuing safety,” Saudi Arabia’s Arab News noted in a February 2015 editorial.
National programs
To increase border security as millions of Hajj and Umrah pilgrims head into Saudi Arabia, the government has made biometric enrollment mandatory for many visa applicants. The new systems will help catch terrorists and other criminals looking to exploit the commotion that comes with crowds. The program also will speed up entry at borders. The program is being rolled out in stages, and only visa applicants from some countries must comply with the biometric requirement for now. The country plans to build one of the largest biometric data centers in the world, capable of holding the biometric data of about 30 million people. This comes after the United Arab Emirates assembled one of the largest civil biometric databases in the world in 2013.
The Royal Oman Police (ROP) is launching a new program called Yaqeen that will link biometric data across the country, allowing police officers to access information quicker and solve crimes faster. Yaqeen comes on the heels of the government’s adoption of biometric passports, known as ePassports. They are part of the broader biometric border management system — iBorders — that the ROP is deploying.
iBorders allows officials to access risk-assessment data for travelers at airports, seaports and land crossings, as well as at 50 Omani embassies and consulates in other countries. Monitoring includes the use of fingerprints, facial recognition and retina scans. The system flags travelers using biometric data already affiliated with another name or travel document and performs a risk assessment based on crime watch lists.
The financial sector is also using biometrics to verify customer identities. In 2014, the ROP and Bank Muscat launched a high-tech biometric identification system. “To validate banking transactions at all Bank Muscat branches, the identification card is required to be inserted into the biometric machine, and customers have to validate their identity by scanning their fingerprint on the machine,” according to a news release.
The Gulf states are far from the only countries using biometrics to enhance security. The United States shares biometric information with partner countries to deter threats and help bolster security. In 2014, the Kyrgyz Republic enacted a law mandating biometric registration for citizens, part of a larger plan to have biometric passports in the country.
Afghanistan issues electronic passports for its citizens. In 2013, the country began using the updated passport system to make it harder for criminals and extremists to travel unnoticed. The new system helps reduce fraud; in the past, it was possible to bribe officials to buy more than one passport or use a fake name.
Overall, biometric data, properly cataloged and shared with partner nations, promises to be one of the most useful tools to thwart international terrorists and criminals.
Sources: Arab News, Times of Oman, PlanetBiometrics.com, www.muscatdaily.com, Gulf News, www.betanews.com