US Non-Citizens and the Ethics of Biometrics Data Collection

Ethical data collection has become a hot topic of discussion during the recent times when tech giants like Google and Facebook has come under fire for unethically obtaining user data.

Another dystopian-reminding source of the data collection came from the government when Edward Snowden blew the whistle on the obscene amount of conversations that the NSA listened to.

As we talk about a specific kind of data namely, biometric data, the conversation takes a different turn. It turns out, collection of biometric data from the citizens of United States is illegal.

More surprisingly, however, is the fact that although US non-citizens are not protected from such actions. This is especially curious considering how other developed countries, such as UK, grant such protections for their own non-citizens.

Personally, I think it is sad considering how the US is home to millions of non-citizens, such as illegal immigrants and their children, who have nowhere else to go. Privacy is a human right and if they are not provided the same privilege as US citizens, I think they should at least be provided the most basic human right.