EU Funds $70.1m Biometric Tech to Send Back African Migrants

The European Union development fund has funded biometric identity systems in Senegal and Ivory Coast to identify undocumented citizens residing in Europe. This new biometric technology will be used to facilitate the return of undocumented migrants.

Around 60 million euros ($70.1 million) have been allocated by EU Trust Fund for Africa to develop these biometric systems in the two countries. However, the funding was awarded to Civipol, a consulting firm for France’s interior ministry, to modernize the national registry systems in Senegal and Ivory Coast.

One of the main barriers in organizing the return of migrants has been fraudulent or lack of IDs. Hence, modernizing the national registry systems is a way forward to not only assist migrants in going back home, but also help local citizens in accessing social services.

Biometric identity systems match personal information like name and date of birth with physical characteristics such as fingerprints, facial or iris scans. Biometric technology has been vital for law enforcement all around the world. This new technology can aid governments across the globe to establish someone's legal identity.

However, there have been concerns about how such biometric identity systems can also lead to discrimination and harmful decisions.

Edin Omanovic, Advocacy Director at Privacy International, explains in a Bloomberg article that “instead of helping people who face daily threats from unaccountable surveillance agencies, including activists, journalists, and people just looking for better lives, this ‘aid’ risks doing the very opposite."

Privacy International has also called on the EU to reform or discontinue some development funds to ensure they are not providing the tools of repression to governments around the world. This letter was also signed by 11 other NGOs, which have expressed concerns regarding this issue.