I am not a criminal.

I keep my fingers to myself.

The European Commission has adopted a proposal for a Council Regulation that will set legally binding minimum standards for harmonised security features, including biometric identifiers, in all EU passports.

Proposal for a COUNCIL REGULATION on standards for security features and biometrics in EU citizens' passports Brussels, 18.2.2004 COM(2004) 116 final states: "Following the tragic events of 11 September 2001, there was a call for immediate reaction in enhancing security features in documents. In this framework, it is worth to mention that the United States have set the 26 October 2004* as the final date for a visa waiver country 'as a condition for designation or continuation of that designation that it has a programme to issue to its nationals machine-readable passports that are tamper-resistant and incorporate biometric identifiers that comply with applicable biometric identifiers standards established by the International Civil Aviation Organization'."

*This date has been deferred on June 14, 2004 by the 108th Congress 2d Session as follows: "Not later than October 26, 2005, the Secretary of Homeland Security, in consultation with the Secretary of State, shall install at all ports of entry into the United States equipment and software to allow biometric comparison and authentication of passports issued pursuant to subsection."

The Commission additionally wants to set up a centralised, biometrics-based 'EU passport register', which would contain the fingerprint(s) of passport applicants together with the relevant passport number. This would create a global database of over a billion people by 2015.

ARE WE ALL BECOMING SUSPECTS?