Tunis/Tunisia — Tunisian travellers will be unable to travel by 2024 as they still do not hold the biometric passport, said President of the National Authority for the Protection of Personal Data (French: INPDP) Chawki Gaddès. The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) issued a ban on non-biometric passports and the entry of their holders.
The official told TAP Saturday on the sidelines of a press conference held by the authority to mark Data Protection Day this could be avoided if the biometric passport project is carried out in full compliance with international standards and in line with the relevantpiece of legislation.
The agency is not opposed to the draft project of the biometric identity card and passport as "it will bar the way to crimes involving identity fraud," Gaddès said.
The INPDP is utterly opposed to this being used as a pretext by the Interior Ministry to collect personal data and put them at risk.
"The commission rejects the version chosen by the Interior Ministry as there is a flagrant breach of the rights of citizens unless there is police intention behind that," he added.
Gaddès spoke about the negative impact of the shutdown of the INPDP and its offices in regions and wondered about the fate of personal data.
