By KUNA
London : An international database which could hold iris, palm prints and other personal biological information is in the planning stages, the British Home Office confirmed Tuesday.
The FBI plan for a “Server in the Sky” is being discussed to help fight terrorism around the world, The Guardian newspaper reported.
The network could hold information from millions of criminal suspects pooled by the US, the UK, Australia, Canada and New Zealand, the paper said.
The plan is likely to raise concerns about data security in the wake of a series of embarrassing data loss blunders by the British Government and its agencies.
The Home Office confirmed the existence of “Server in the Sky,” but stressed discussions were at a very early stage.
A spokesman said, “We are aware of the proposed project. As you would expect we consider a wide range of initiatives as we constantly look to enhance our investigative capabilities.
“Relevant safeguards are always considered as part of this process,” he added.
A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police confirmed it was in discussions with the FBI, but emphasized the plans were at a preliminary stage.
The FBI told The Guardian the database would include details of major criminals such as international terrorists.
A spokesman said, “Server in the Sky is an FBI initiative designed to foster the advanced search and exchange of biometric information on a global scale.
“While it is currently in the concept and design stages, once complete it will provide a technical forum for member nations to submit biometric search requests to other nations.
“It will maintain a core holding of the world’s ‘worst of the worst’ individuals. Any identifications of these people will be sent as a priority message to the requesting nation,” the spokesman added.