FAQ
Status: 07/31/2021 8:27 a.m.
Anyone applying for a new identity card will have to hand in their fingerprints in the future. But where and how are these stored? Who can access it – and what do privacy advocates say?
What is the new legal situation?
From Monday, August 2nd, 2021, everyone is obliged to have their fingerprints taken at the residents’ registration office when applying for a new identity card. With the new regulation, Germany is implementing a regulation of the European Union that is intended to increase the security of identity cards. In the future, two fingerprints will be stored in the ID card’s chip for this purpose.
How are the fingerprints taken?
The fingerprints are stored in the form of flat prints of the left and right index fingers in the electronic storage medium of the identity card. The fingerprint scanners required for taking fingerprints are available in the authorities.
How are the fingerprints stored?
According to the Federal Ministry of the Interior, the imprints are only used for storage on the identity card itself. There, they are intended to ensure that – for example, in the case of identity checks – it can be checked whether the ID presented is genuine. This means that after the impressions have been taken at the residents’ registration office, they go to the Bundesdruckerei, where they can be found on the chip in the new identity card.
“After production and delivery of the identity card, the fingerprints will be deleted – as before – both at the manufacturer and in the authorities,” said the ministry. And: “There is no storage of fingerprints in central databases. A comparison of the fingerprints stored in the ID card with central police records is not planned.”
Who can read the fingerprints?
In Germany, ID card, passport and registration authorities, the police enforcement authorities, the customs administration and the tax investigation offices are allowed to read the fingerprints stored on the ID card. In addition, the security authorities of the EU member states can read the fingerprints from the identity card for identification purposes if there are still doubts about the identity after a photo comparison. According to the Ministry of the Interior, other states do not have access to the fingerprint data in the ID card.
How is the data secured against misuse?
According to the Federal Ministry of the Interior, all information in the ID card chip is protected by internationally recognized and established encryption methods. Data protection advocates repeatedly criticize the fact that the very existence of large collections of sensitive data is a problem, as it cannot be completely ruled out that unauthorized persons will gain access to these data sets. According to the ministry, however, this risk is ruled out here, since there will be no such big data collection of fingerprints.
What do critics complain about?
Critics doubt that the data on the ID card can really only be read by “authorized bodies”. Among other things, they fear that criminals could gain access to innocent people’s fingerprints – and then misuse them, for example to leave false traces of criminal offenses.
The “Digitalcourage” association also doubts whether there is any significant benefit from the fingerprint requirement. The number of identity checks using fingerprints will likely be small. The association rejects the fingerprint requirement as well as biometric passport photos: “The compulsory and unreasonable submission of biometric data does not correspond to the values of constitutional states and democracies, but to the addiction of police states to control.” The recording of biometric features is highly problematic, because this data enables lifelong control.
What happens to the “old” identity card?
This remains valid until it has expired. Fingerprints only have to be submitted when applying for a new identity card. The new identity card is more expensive than the previous one: 37 euros instead of the previous 28.80 euros.
What happens if you refuse to deliver?
Then you will not receive a new identity card according to the changed rules. Because the submission of fingerprints is mandatory. However, if the old ID card expires, if you refuse to take your fingerprints and if you do not receive a new ID card, you are in breach of the Identity Card Act. This means that in Germany people over the age of 16 must have an identity card or passport. Otherwise there is a risk of fines of up to 5000 euros. Fingerprints have been mandatory for passports since 2007.