The Barbados government has said it will consider the introduction of fingerprint scanners at the country's ports of entry, local media has reported.The Minister of Home Affairs said this week that visitors wouldn't be covered by a privacy protection clause that he actually pushed for earlier this year.Minister of Home Affairs Edmund Hinkson, working as a lawyer in private practice succeeded in pressing the court to ban the unconstitutional fingerprinting of citizens as they leave and enter the island's air and seaports.But now he has said international visitors may have to undergo the process, reported Barbados Today.”The law is clear on that particular issue that you cannot compel Barbadians to be fingerprinted at our ports of entry. This also goes for permanent residents, who have under the Constitution, a right of entry into the country. . . . But as I said there is nothing that would stop you from fingerprinting non-Barbadians,” said Hinkson.The newspaper reported that the Minister has declared that the current prototype kiosks currently placed at the Grantley Adams Airport, will not be retrofitted to do fingerprinting. The biometric machines at the airport only allow for facial recognition. He said any decision to introduce further components to the security process would be made after Government does a thorough analysis of the pilot project.”This is not a Government that is about taking any action that is not constitutional and certainly I could not preside over a Ministry that could do thatߪ We are still at the pilot project phase and clearly this something that will require legislation. But as I said this not required as part of process of finding out who is arriving in Barbados and right now the pilot project does not involve that [fingerprinting], said Hinkson. He revealed that plans were in the pipeline to bring legislation that would make biometric verification mandatory for non-nationals at all ports of entry.
Recent Articles
- Identity Week Europe 2026 raises the bar with 10 first-time speakers making their debut
- Sumsub joins World Economic Forum Unicorn Community to tackle AI fraud and advance inclusive digital identity
- Air carrier interface integrated into EES strategy
- Kentucky’s first mobile ID accepted for air travel
- FRONTEX expert to headline security document design at Identity Week Europe 2026
Recent Video
- New non-profit trade association of HAND will standardise global talent ID
- No cards, no phones: J.P. Morgan’s biometric revolution in payments
- Anthony Vidiano on building the future of access management
- Charisma Check wins 2025 Start-Up Pitching Competition, advancing identity verification and background checks for dating app users
- How to protect one billion Amazon customers: Lessons from continuous risk assessments
