US trials full biometric fingerprinting at airports*

 From correspondents in Brussels

June 26, 2007 06:58am
Article from: Agence France-Presse

THE US is beefing up security for foreign visitors, who will have to
give 10 digital fingerprints when they arrive, an official from the US
Department for Homeland Security has said.

Higher quality 10-fingerprint scanners will be evaluated during a pilot
program at 10 airports, including the John F Kennedy Airport in New
York, Chicago's O'Hare and Washington Dulles International, to replace
the current system which requires two fingerprints and a photograph.

The new system is also being piloted in several US embassies abroad,
including Brussels, said PT Wright, operations director for the US
Department of Homeland Security's US-VISIT Program.

The 10-fingerprint requirement will apply to travellers from those EU
nations and other countries that enjoy the US visa waiver program, as
well as for visitors from others who need visas to visit the US.

The US-VISIT program will provide the necessary technology and
fingerprint analysis. The prints will be checked against US watch lists.

Border checks may soon be further upgraded to include other biometric
data, such as facial and retina scans, the department said.