Legal Implications of the Use of Biometrics as a Tool to Fight the Global War on Terrorism
Abstract
Since the fall of the Soviet Union and the emergence of the United States as the world's single superpower, the Army has shifted its threat paradigm from a focus on the Communist threat to that of multiple threats from both nation states and nonstate actors. The terrorist attacks against the United States on September 11, 2001, highlighted the need for the country's leadership to develop effective means of identifying personnel as part of a national security plan. National security agents had identified many of the perpetrators of the 9/11 attacks as posing a threat to the United States before the attacks occurred, but they failed to apprehend them in time. If the nation's airports had employed biometric technologies prior to the attacks, it is likely that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) would have identified and detained the suspects before they were able to carry out their plan. A biometric identification system would present law enforcement officials with a powerful tool for the identification of known or suspected terrorists and other criminals. However, such a system must also adhere to the laws designed to protect the individual privacy of U.S. citizens. System designers would have to ensure that the program adheres to the 4th, 5th, and 14th amendments of the U.S. Constitution as well as the Privacy Act of 1974. Due to the complexity of the topic, it is beyond the scope of this paper to discuss every available biometric technology. The paper will therefore focus on the biometric technologies associated with the Army Battle Command Laboratory's Biometrics Automated Tool Kit (BAT). The BAT allows security personnel to record iris scans, fingerprints, and digital photographs using a portable iris scanner, digital fingerprint collector, and digital camera.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 13, 2008
- Accession Number
- ADA484710
Entities
People
- Catherine M. Black
Organizations
- United States Army Command and General Staff College