You may have seen or heard of devices that scan people’s eyes to confirm their identification before they enter a building. Devices that scan people’s fingerprints at police stations, or an airport’s complete body scan, etc.

These are illustrations of what you refer to as “biometrics.” Biometrics is currently one of the hottest subjects in technology. Many queries yet remain: Biometrics: Is it moral? Does it have the potential for responsible usage in support of human rights? And will this technology need to be used on migrants?

This review will go deeply into the discussions that are now taking place around biometrics and their acceptability in terms of human rights.

The Issues?

Security issues have taken precedence in recent years as a result of an increase in terrorism, riots, and other types of disorder. And because of these worries, biometric technology is currently being discussed.

While proponents believe biometrics would improve people’s privacy, others may worry that it will invade people’s personal information.

The full extent of the flaws

Skeptics of biometrics claim that the technology still has drawbacks. These are a few of these flaws:

  • Skeptics already doubt the trustworthiness of biometrics based on their appearance.
  • The accuracy of biometrics is not perfect.
  • What if data privacy regulations aren’t upheld?

What about the migrants?

There were around 281 million international migrants globally, or 3.6% of the world’s population, according to the World Migration Report of 2020. What requirements would biometrics for migrants fulfill, notwithstanding this statistic?

A person could be required to provide personal data to establish their identification if they traveled to another nation for leisure, business, or to move to a new residence. Having said that, biometrics can result in discriminatory behaviors, whether deliberate or not, against migrants.

Here are a few instances where biometrics might be detrimental to migrants:

  • To prevent another 9/11, airports have introduced stringent security procedures, including full-body scanning. The public, however, expressed worry about these security measures because they believed they violated the right to privacy.
  • Among the migrants may be some seeking asylum from tragedy and violence in their native country. Biometrics may help people verify their identity, but it may also harm them in other ways. The process of first gathering human data is what might have the biggest detrimental impact when employing biometrics. Some immigrants may think of them as criminals. Additionally, being screened for human data and identity may cause additional mental damage, given the pain of leaving their native nation.

What does the future hold?

In the following approaches, Bahaa Abdul Hadi finds a common ground:

  • When employing biometric documents, remember to first think about a person’s freedom of movement. In that instance, gathering accurate, sufficient, and authentic information is critical.
  • Second, there must be a precise line between clandestine migrants and illegal immigrants. While it’s crucial to stop illegal immigrants from entering a nation, avoiding a system that treats all immigrants equally as criminals is crucial.
  • Third, terrorism continues to be a massive problem from the perspective of so many people who have either been directly impacted by it or have watched it from afar. Therefore, immigration reform and counterterrorism must be handled separately.

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