I527-290 ESRIF Final Report (WEB).indd - European Commission

176
8.2.1.4 Citizens’ trust in identifi cation systems
A key link in the chain of trust is the users’ trust in identity systems. With identity systems managing very sensitive and private
data for millions of people (especially for government systems) we must ensure that the systems are secure and well defi ned
to protect against key threats such as identity theft..
One of the often overlooked factors in trust is communication and it is important that the users of any identifi cation system are
provided with clear explanations of how their data is going to be used and the purpose of such use. It is well established that
the public’s concerns with regard to biometrics are around a lack of knowledge of the technology and mistrust of organizations
that deploy and manage biometric applications. Most people are unaware of what biometric systems can and cannot do
and draw no distinction between non-intrusive and potentially intrusive implementations —rendering it diffi cult to make
informed decisions about a particular case.
For all these reasons, training for users and operators is crucial to the success of the new systems. If the training and
communication around new projects is not done properly, people will not trust the systems and therefore not use them or
potentially use them improperly which could lead to security breaches.
8.2.2 Identifi cation management in a faster moving world
8.2.2.1 Fast identifi cation of travellers
Many of today’s border management organizations and processes are not structured or ready to meet the new challenges
with which they are faced. Consistent and strategic coordination across border management agencies is often lacking and
information is fragmented or maintained in information silos. As a result valuable information is not always available to the
decision makers to whom it could make a diff erence.
Therefore individuals are able to cross borders without being subjected to the appropriate level of scrutiny.
Tragic events such as the September 11 attacks in the United States and the bombings in Madrid and London are stark reminders
of the potential consequences of a single mistaken decision. Managing all of these challenges in a cost effi cient manner, while
communicating adequately to the public and conveying a commitment to protect privacy, are the key challenges for today’s
border management professionals.
Border control typically presents the following characteristics:
Operated at the border station, without mobile equipment
Processed when the traveller arrives at the border without proactive controls
Control stations are connected to police databases, but do not use all capabilities given by Passenger Name Records (PNR)
and Advanced Passenger Information System (APIS) data
Our purpose is to show the opportunity of a reasonable investment, in architectural terms, to move the border controls from
reactive to proactive: people are fl ying and are expected in a few hours, therefore one has time to process the controls and to
select who should be controlled more accurately.
Such proactive systems will require a connection to the information systems of airlines (through companies operating fl ights
or through a special secure connection). This way, border control authorities would browse data concerning people following
arrival, and select only those who need a more precise control at the border after having queried their national databases and
the Schengen Information System (SIS or SIS II). All other passengers can cross the border easily and quickly.
A new global scheme could integrate three levels of identity controls:
At origin/in transit: the details of the traveller are collected and sent to the destination. This will help focusing the eff orts
on travellers most susceptible to being a threat to the destination country. Furthermore, with this approach it will even be
possible to deny the boarding of travellers who would be denied entry at the destination.
ESRIF FINAL REPORT - PART 2 • Working Group: Identifi cation of People and Assets