A Brief History of the Evolution of Biometrics and Biometric Database Systems Crossing Borders in EU Law Enforcement

Abstract

This chapter provides an outline of the historical evolution of biometric databases in the European Union and explores how these developments reconfigure notions of borders within this region of the world. This sets the scene for understanding how the melange of biometrical technologies and digitization has reconfigured how we think about the mobility of people, how modes of surveillance relate to human rights and ethical issues, and what modes of regulation are being enforced. This brief historical summary covers the evolution of a range of diverse biometric technologies and database systems and their use in the context of migration control and law enforcement. Furthermore, the chapter contextualizes why the Prüm system, a decentralized database system designed to facilitate the mandatory exchange of forensic DNA data amongst EU Member States to control criminality and terrorism, is of relevance to the concept of bioborders.