Tunisia- Society Organizations Call to Withdraw the New Biometric ID Card

Location: Tunis- Tunisia

Language: Arabic

Voice: Natural

Duration: 00:03:25

Source: A24

Restrictions: A24 Clients

Dateline: 26/01/2022

Storyline

About thirty civil society organizations in Tunisia issued a unified statement expressing their opposition to adopting the new national biometric ID card, which is an ID card with an electronic microchip. It was first submitted by the Ministry of Interior in 2016. Organizations sounded the alarm about the new ID, fearing any prospects of cyber hacking as it lacks any legal and technical safeguards for the Tunisians private information and would undermine Tunisian citizens’ fundamental rights. Therefore, members of these organizations demanded the Tunisian authorities’ amendments on the draft that would entail protection for Tunisian personal information

Shot list

-SOUNDBITE (Sharif Al Qadi- an Activists in the civil organization and an analyst in the Middle East and North Africa Politics in Access now organization)

At least 30 civil society organizations in Tunis issued a statement demanding the Ministry of Interior to withdraw the new biometric ID and passport.  I believe when we want to enter cyberspace, we should have basic standards of protection. Where will the personal information be stored? And who has the access to the strategic security information that affects the national security of the country? Furthermore, citizens have the right to know where their information will be stored and who has access to them. We have concerns that these biometric cards aren’t in line with international standards of cyberspace that guarantee people’s right to privacy.

-SOUNDBITE (Abdel Raouf Bali – member of the Executive Office of the Journalists Syndicate)

There are many inquiries about this new ID card. It is necessary to have some safeguards and protection for our personal information. Therefore, such projects can’t be permitted without community’s participation and without monitoring

-SOUNDBITE ( Abdel Khaleq Lazraq – journalist)

Part of the inquiries regarding the new biometric ID cards include:  Do all authorities and places that ask for the ID card will have full access to our personal information?  The authority must clarify where the ID information will be stored and who be responsible? What are the safeguards that such information won’t be hacked or blackmailed? I believe Tunisia still needs a lot until it can succeed in the digital world