The two-year pilot project, beginning with residents of Rishon LeZion (population 228,000), will create a biometric database of citizens who voluntarily sign up for the programme, storing information including a computer-generated facial image and fingerprints of both index fingers.
Citizens who sign up to receive this ID can register their biometric information at the same offices they have to visit to renew their traditional forms of identification. Minors under the age of 16 will not be able to sign up for biometric IDs yet.
The use of biometric smart IDs is meant to curb identity fraud that occurs in Israel due to theft of traditional ID. Interior Minister Gideon Sa’ar stated that more than 160,000 traditional IDs are stolen each year.
The plan to create the biometric database and ID was approved by the Israeli Parliament in 2009, and has been widely debated in civil society and government since then. The creation of a government-owned biometric database has garnered concern about citizen privacy from government and protection from security flaws or attacks.
Israel is the latest of many countries launching biometric identification projects. South Africa recently announced the distribution of new smart IDs containing information including fingerprints and digital photographs. India is the middle of the world’s largest ID projects, distributing biometric cards to all 1.3 billion residents.
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Autor(en)/Author(s): Sumedha Jalote
Quelle/Source: futureGov, 11.07.2013
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