The Israeli Knesset has voted to pass the Biometrics Database Law by a margin of 40 to 11, according to an article from The Register. The law dictates the creation of a national database designed for holding biometric information on all of Israel’s citizens, although, its first two years will be running as a trial wherein participation will be voluntary.
Following the two-year trial, however, Israelis looking for new identification documentation will have to submit to the collection of fingerprint samples as well as a digital picture. In addition to the national database, each citizen’s biometric data and digital picture will also be contained on a chip embedded in their ID cards.
As the bill for the database had already moved in and out of the Knesset due to concerns over privacy and security of the data, ex-interior minister Meir Sheetrit has assured that numerous precautions are to be put in place to protect the citizens’ data. Among the precautions are separating the biometric data and the name of the person to whom it belongs on two separate and highly secured databases.
Read the full story here. ![[end]](/resources/bullet/thirdfactor-4.gif)
