EDPS: EU Entry/Exit System Must Be Closely Monitored for Privacy Protection
Europe's new Entry/Exit System (EES) requires "effective supervision" to safeguard people's privacy rights, European Data Protection Supervisor Wojciech Wiewiorowski said Friday.
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The EES, a large-scale IT system that took effect Oct. 12, aims to prevent irregular migration and boost security in the Schengen area, an open-border zone that includes 29 European countries. The automated system, which will eventually replace passport stamping, registers travelers from third countries, with or without a visa, who enter and exit the Schengen area. It records personal data such as name, date of birth, facial image and fingerprints. People from third countries aren't EU citizens and lack the EU right to free movement.
Personal data protection oversight of the EES is the responsibility of the Coordinated Supervision Committee, a group of national DPAs and the EDPS. The EES Regulation requires that travelers be properly informed of their rights regarding the processing of their personal data and how to exercise them, the EDPS added.
Authorities who process personal data in the EES, such as border guards, migration services and, in some cases, law enforcement agencies, "must ensure that individuals can easily request access to their data," as well as be able to rectify, complete, erase and restrict it.