World View | In the Land of Cheese, Tulips and Biometrics

Biometrics are moving into daily life in the Netherlands, but Europe's stringent data protection requirements may or may not be applied.

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Jay
Wed, 2008-08-20 13:33

Paul, why do you forget to mention that there has been a biometrics based preferred Customs passing program in place at Schiphol airport for a number of years already ..?
It's not cheap but it works to bypass the common man waiting in line for clearance to their cattle class holiday destinations...

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Paul Raines
Thu, 2008-08-21 14:52

Hi Jay!
What you say is true but it was only on a pilot basis for premium members of one airline's frequent flyer program. This program is only now being opened up to members of the general public. The point of the article is that the use of biometrics in the Netherlands is increasing being used in everyday situations.

Personally I think it is inevitable that biometric technology will become the dominant means of authenticating individuals in society. But, if we go down that path I think there should be institutions and processes in place that will guard against potential abuses and ensure that proper protections are in place.

Thanks for reading the article.

Regards,

Paul

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Jay
Mon, 2008-08-25 07:47

Jay,
I don't know where you got that idea: The Privium program is open to *all* who'd wish to enroll (well, crooks and like may be refused).

For the rest, I agree that there should be some institution to control biometrics developments. In the Netherlands, a High Council of State, able to overrule the Administration, is not an uncommon thing for societal issues deemed important enough. One exists already for privacy; you'd think it could be extended to include all things biometric ..?

Regards,
Jay

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Paul Raines
Mon, 2008-08-25 17:55

Jay,
You asked where I got my information. I quote a press release from KLM dtd 16 Aug 2006,
"Participants in Air France KLM's Flying Blue program can now purchase a one-year Privium Basic Pass at an attractive price combined with Flying Blue miles. The pass lets travelers go through arrivals and departures, passport and baggage check, quickly and easily using iris scan technology at Schiphol Airport....Flying Blue is Air France KLM's joint loyalty program. With more than eleven million members, it is Europe's largest frequent flyer program."

Regards,

Paul

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