Biometric Surveillance: EU States Agree on Mobile Passport
(Heise Online, Nov 19, 2025)
Despite the promised travel facilitation, civil rights activists and data protectionists are urgently warning against the consequences of digitizing travel documents. They see it as an expansion of the biometric surveillance infrastructure at the EU level.
Top Cop Gives Marching Orders Ahead of G20: ‘Facial Recognition Rejects Mustn’t Enter’
(Sunday World, Nov 19, 2025)
“There is proper security in terms of access control; there is facial recognition. If facial recognition denies entry, ensure the person stays out, regardless of identity.”
Exclusive: Chinese Authorities Collect Biometric Data from North Korean Defectors
(The CHOSUNILBO, Nov 12, 2025)
The Database Center for North Korean Human Rights (NKDB) stated in its recent report, “China’s Policy on Illegal Foreign Residents and Digital Surveillance System,” that Chinese authorities began collecting biometric data from defectors around 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic emerged.
Man 'Branded a Thief' After Facial Recognition Error
(BBC News, Nov 19, 2025)
Jasleen Chaggar, legal and policy officer at Big Brother Watch, said: "Subjecting shoppers to biometric identity checks just to pick up groceries or purchase essentials is a chilling expansion of intrusive surveillance technology that is ripe for error and abuse.
Biometrics Could Allow Access to Airports Under TSA Proposal
(Bloomberg Government, Nov 19, 2025)
The Transportation Security Administration is pursuing a new approach to allowing people to access flights without proper identification. “TSA will use the individual’s biographic and/or biometric information to verify identity and match the individual to their Secure Flight watch list result,” reads a notice filed Wednesday in the Federal Register. Such an approach would streamline the entry process for passengers as the Federal Aviation Administration pursues its own modernization effort. Passengers under the TSA proposal would have to pay a non-refundable $18 fee to access the proposed program, which would not guarantee access to controlled areas. The TSA, which is ...
