Despite having numerous security features, an example of the new national identification card released by the Ministry of the Interior yesterday did not leave room for the owner's fingerprint.
A nationwide renewal of identification cards is slated to take place next year.
According to the ministry, the new card will be printed on special paper. The paper, design, printing and plastic cover will contain 20 anti-forgery features which are expected to make it extremely difficult to create fake IDs. These special security features include the use of miniscule fonts, hidden images and magnetized ink.
Ministry officials emphasized that a space on the lower right corner at the back of the card was not meant for a fingerprint, but for a special print consisting of magnetized material.
In response to the controversy surrounding the possible incorporation of the bearer's fingerprint on the new identification cards, ministry officials said the decisive issue will be whether the Legislative Yuan passes an amendment to abolish the stipulation regarding fingerprints in the Household Registration Law (
Under the current law, anyone over the age of 14 has to have 10 fingerprints taken at the household registration office when applying for a new identification card if the original has been lost. These fingerprints are stored in a national fingerprint bank.
This has caused controversy among human rights groups, who consider compulsory fingerprinting a violation of human rights. As a result, the amendment to abolish fingerprinting has been submitted to the Legislative Yuan, but has not yet been passed.
"If the Legislative Yuan decides that the new cards must have fingerprints, the ministry will conduct a separate discussion to work out how fingerprints will be taken, as well as how they will be stored and managed," ministry officials said yesterday.
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