In its attempts to bring the refugee crisis to heel, the European Commission wants to expand its fingerprint database, introduce facial recognition software, store the information for even longer than before and include minors in the process. The EU is planning wholesale changes to the bloc’s asylum law. In addition to a “fairer” distribution system for refugees and an extension of border controls within the Schengen area, the Eurodac fingerprint database, which is currently used to identify asylum seekers and irregular migrants, is to be enlarged. The system is set to be supplemented with facial recognition software and personal data will be stored for a longer period of time, with the aim of ensuring that irregular migrants stay on the authorities’ radar; the information of underage refugees will also be kept. The upgrade will cost some €30 million. [...] Besides increasing the amount of time data can be stored, from 18 months to five years, border authorities will be allowed to use facial recognition tools as well. The scheme insists that police and border guards will be able to establish the identity of people more efficiently and quickly using the specialist software. In the Commission’s view, fingerprint collection is no longer sufficient, as third country nationals often use means “to deceive” the curent system. Biometric technology is therefore a “central component” of the new European asylum system. <http://www.euractiv.com/section/justice-home-affairs/news/eu-proposes-minori...> Commento: una volta ottenuti i dati biometrici ber il border processing sarà difficile non usarli per l'enforcement e collegarli con le videocamere CCTV. Alberto