Page 158 - Automated Fingerprint Identification Systems (AFIS)

CURRENT ISSUES 143

the central unit. The central unit generally handles all fingerprint comparisons
within 24 hours except in the case of emergency.
For asylum seekers, data is kept for 10 years unless the individual is granted
citizenship in any of the member states. When citizenship is granted, the infor-
mation is erased. Those who have entered a country illegally will have their data
stored for 2 years after their fingerprints were taken, but it will be erased if
the person is granted a residence permit or leaves the European Union. Illegal
aliens already in a country would have their fingerprints checked against
Eurodac to ensure they do not have a pending asylum application, but in such
cases Eurodac would not store the fingerprints or any other information regard-
ing the illegal alien.
Countries within the European Union must make sure that fingerprints are
lawfully obtained. Eurodac shares this responsibility, along with protecting the
privacy rights of both the individuals fingerprinted and the member states.
Additionally, each member country can appoint two representatives to an inde-
pendent joint supervisory authority, which has the responsibility to ensure
rights are not violated and to resolve implementation problems as Eurodac
goes online. In order to ensure Eurodac’s effectiveness, reports are given to the
European Parliament after the first year of operation, the third year of opera-
tion, and every 6 years after that.