| PT 2003-06-23 |
| European Union governments last week agreed to embed computer chips containing biometric data in passports.
The plans to create passports carrying information on a person's fingerprint or retinal scans are presented as a way to reduce counterfeiting and fraud. Biometric chips would also be implanted in visas issued to foreign nationals travelling to Europe. The idea, backed by €140m in EU funding for a feasibility study, was put forward as part of a raft of measures designed to "co-ordinate the European Union's immigration policy" at a summit in Greece last week. The US is the main driver for biometric passports, the International Herald Tribune reports. |
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