Kenya's High Court Delays National Biometric ID Program

Kenya's high court last week temporarily suspended the country's new national biometric identity program until the government enacts laws to protect the security of the data and prevent discrimination against minorities. From a report: The government had said the IDs would be required for all Kenyan citizens and foreign residents to access a broad range of rights and services, including health care, education, public housing, voting, marriage licenses and registering mobile phones. But the court's three-judge panel announced in proceedings on Thursday that it is suspending the digital ID program until the government has in place "an appropriate and comprehensive regulatory framework" that would protect the personal data it collects and safeguard minorities from discrimination. The panel's 500-page judgment is expected to be released this week. The decision is a setback for the government, which had already collected data from nearly 40 million Kenyans during a mass registration in April and May last year. The government will now have to pass new legislation -- under public scrutiny -- to build in protections and implement the biometric program. It is unclear how long that might take.

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[JaredOfEuropa]

Went short today, did ya?

This is how they roll out new controls

[paralumina01]

They test them in poor countries first, then they make needed changes and push it out to everyone else.

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[AHuxley]

Why should poor countries have to keep on providing health care, education, public housing, voting, marriage licenses to non citizens?
Why should poor countries workers have to pay extra tax to support a lot of illegal migrants getting free gov services that should be for citizens?
Dont update the ID system so non citizens can keep on enjoying free gov services for citizens?
Poor countries been "poor" should support their own "poor" citizens. Want to do more? Send charity/support to another nation...
I

You are the product

[aeropage]

to access a broad range of rights and services, including health care, education, public housing, voting, marriage licenses and registering mobile phones.

"So, on your right hand, or forehead? We fully respect your freedom to choose."

Laws are useless.

[ss202sl]

We have laws in the U.S. against killing people, yet we have murders every day. Just creating a law doesn't mean that the data is safe.

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[Kjella]

We have laws in the U.S. against killing people, yet we have murders every day. Just creating a law doesn't mean that the data is safe.

No, but having a law against murder anyway seems like a good idea to me. YMMV.

Just do an India

[AHuxley]

Get the nations past paper work onto computer...every name, birth, death, family, wedding, pass, permit, court document... once on paper, now on computer.
Then the city, town, village, street interviews start.
Who the person is, why they have had no contact with the gov, why their parents have no contact with the gov...
Slowly every citizen is added to a new database and is given new physical and digital ID.
Not a citizen? Slowly all the illegal migrants get detected.

Minorities are "citizens" so what's t