Where is the border between security needs and civil rights and freedom? Are new innovative ways to maintain security proportional to today’s security need? The United Kingdom is prepared to launch what is termed e-border travel database programme —a travelling monitoring system.
The e-Borders security programme collects and analyses information given from varied travelling carriers about anyone who intends to travel to or from the UK in advance of their travels; traveling carriers include airlines, ferries, railways, and even private travelling firms if they choose to cooperate. Border control agencies include Immigration service, Police service, UK visa services, and Serious and Organized Crime Agency Customs.
Information collected from the carrier will include passport information, details of the service the traveler requested (aka advance passenger information), and details of reservation and payment. Information will not be on record for more than 10 years. This information will be given to organizations that are legally authorized to view it in order to carry their official and legal duties.
On the one hand this database is expected to restrict terrorist activity and illegal crime and immigration; yet on the other it compromises personal freedom. Nonetheless, other countries such as United States, Canada, Australia and Spain also have a policy that requires carriers to hand in passenger’s information and advance information. Australia in particular claimed that their monitoring system is very efficient.
This programme intends to enhance the UK border security because it will enable security personnel to anticipate potential threat even before he is able to reach the border. Furthermore, this programme enables security forces to do a thorough background check, one that is more detailed and could include comparing traveler’s connection with already “profiled” criminals. In this manner, UK is able to prevent even an intended meeting to plot a threatening event. As Onland, the Director of Dartagnan BV stated, “The Border Police officer at the port of arrival will become the last line of defence rather than the first”. Finally, it allows for a more organized profile of suspect passengers that includes patterns, networks and background checks.
Regarding efficiency, it is safe to say that this programme will permit for a better and faster flow of passengers at border crossing; stopping only illegal immigration, persons that abuse border tax pay, and better planned public service at the border crossing will be the essential concerns. As UK border and immigration Minister, Phil Woolas explained the success of the e-border; “Already e-Border has screened over 75 million passengers against immigration, customs, and police watch-lists, leading to over 2,700 arrests for crimes such as murder, rape and assault”. Thus, officers will only have to hand pick persons that are only marked as suspects on the computer system, rather than question and interrogate each border crossing passenger.
Yet, not everything is painted pink. For effective implementation the UK needs multilateral and bilateral agreements with the international community and the private sectors within each country. Secondly, and most harsh criticism, is that e-border system is an infringement of privacy; the governments and private sectors will now have a detailed document stating and analyzing a person’s every movement.
Chris Grayling, Shadow Home Secretary for the UK Conservative Party protested e-borders and bluntly stated that, “the government seems to be building databases to track more and more of our lives…the truth is that we have a government that just can’t be trusted over these highly sensitive issues. We must not allow ourselves to become a Big Brother society”.
This new channel of security measurement opens a door for a new relationship standard between the individual and government; as people’s personal lives are being publicized- there is a distinct shift in the separation line between the private and the public sphere. Now more than ever, the private sphere is becoming integrated with the public.
Well, the full implementation of e-border programme is only due by 2014, so I guess we have enough time to debate the manner.
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Next, UK plans to include biometric information within every passport; this means, each passport will include the person’s unique physical characteristics such as fingerprints, DNA, iris patterns of the eye, and face recognition.
