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It's no surprise biometrics are becoming the centrepiece of states' expanding technological surveillance systems — the very origin of biometric surveillance stems from colonial practices of dominating and discriminating against certain groups of people (Photo: Onur Binay)

The colonial biometric legacy at heart of new EU asylum system

On Wednesday (10 April), the EU is set to vote on a new set of asylum and migration reforms. Among the many controversial changes proposed in the new migration pact, one went almost unnoticed — a seemingly innocent reform of the EU's asylum database, EURODAC.

Although framed as purely technical adjustments, the reality is far more malicious. The changes to EURODAC will massively exacerbate violence against people on the move.

Reform of this 20 year-old database will make it the t...

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The views expressed in this opinion piece are the author’s, not those of EUobserver

Author Bio

Laurence Meyer co-leads the decolonising process as part of her role as racial and social justice lead at the Digital Freedom Fund (DFF). Chloé Berthélémy leads policy work on law enforcement, migration and data protection issues, including cross-border access to data, police cooperation, EU agencies and databases, at the European Digital Rights Initiative.

It's no surprise biometrics are becoming the centrepiece of states' expanding technological surveillance systems — the very origin of biometric surveillance stems from colonial practices of dominating and discriminating against certain groups of people (Photo: Onur Binay)

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Author Bio

Laurence Meyer co-leads the decolonising process as part of her role as racial and social justice lead at the Digital Freedom Fund (DFF). Chloé Berthélémy leads policy work on law enforcement, migration and data protection issues, including cross-border access to data, police cooperation, EU agencies and databases, at the European Digital Rights Initiative.

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