According to an expert-demographer, the law on the introduction electronic passports in Ukraine will create more problems rather than make Ukrainians' lives easier.
“This law is predominantly meant for printing documents, but not for
the creation of a single demographic register,” the expert from the
Institute for Demography and Social Studies Oleksandr Hladun said at a
press conference in Kyiv on Thursday.
In particular, after analyzing the text of the bill on the
introduction of electronic passports, he noted that this card according
to the law would not contain information about place of residence.
“It will create problems for people in proving their place of
residence,” the expert said, adding that now many establishments
starting from banks demand confirmation of place of residence.
Moreover, according to him, this card will have electronic
information, although the law “does not regulate what information will
be put on this electronic device.”
However, Hladun said the law envisages that a single state
demographic register is formed on the basis of departmental information
systems. For example, there is a lawyer database or database of the
interior agencies, or another databases that contain information about
the Ukrainian citizens.
“If somebody wants to include a registration information about a
person into the single state demographic register, he will do that,” the
expert said.
According to the expert, the adoption and introduction of this law
threatens “to create a police state”, when any information can be
collected about any person.
One problem Hladun mentioned was the leakage of information collected
about a person in the single state demographic register, when such
information could be used for any purpose. Talking about information
that will be contained on the electronic chip in the electronic
passport, where there are biometric data on each person, there is a risk
that these data will be used without the person’s knowledge.
Moreover, the law foresees that the paper passports issued to
Ukrainian citizens before the introduction of the e-passports, will be
valid until the end of their validity term. However, to his mind, “there
will be a forced transfer to the e-cards.”
Hladun also has doubts that demographers could use a single
demographic register to hold a national census, as at any given moment
there are issues about whether information collected in the register is
complete, and whether this register will update information
He also stressed that there is another issue: how will all state
establishments and other establishment be equipped with the devices that
can read information from the e-passport of the citizen? No one knows
how much money has to be spent to introduce this law.
As reported, on October 2, the Verkhovna Rada adopted a law on the
single state demographic register, which envisages the introduction of
electronic passports for Ukrainians.
The law, in particular, foresees the introduction of electronic
passports for traveling abroad in accordance with the standards of the
International Civil Aviation Organization (ІCAO).
The law proposes establishing that the register contains the
following information about a person: name and surname, date of
birth/death, place of birth, sex, date of the submission of information
about a person in the register, data about parents (adoptive parents),
guardians, and other representatives, data about citizenship or its
absence, as well as details of all documents issued to the person, a
sample of their signature, and a photo.
