FBI eyes British identity data

The US Federal Bureau of Investigation is seeking British co-operation in setting up an internationally accessible biometric database of known and suspected criminals and terrorists.

Police sources said they were in discussions about the so-called Server in the Sky project, according to news sources. The database would carry fingerprint and iris prints as well as other personal data on people.

According to reports, the US, UK, Australia, Canada and New Zealand, have formed a working group, the International Information Consortium, to plan their strategy.

A similar European initiative, the Prüm Convention, for law enforcement officials to exchange suspects' personal data, including DNA profiles, has been strongly condemned by the European Data Protection Supervisor, Peter Hustinx.