Australian Biometrics and Global Surveillance

Following the events of September 11, 2001, biometric technologies have been widely deployed and promoted as a means of providing identity authentication and verification. This article uses the example of Australia to examine how global trends in biometric surveillance are played out within the boundaries of one nation-state. The article first examines the deployment of biometric technologies at the Australian border. It is suggested that although Australia follows global trends, these deployments are imbued with specific meanings in the local context. The discussion then examines new biometric databases being developed to collect and store information within the boundaries of the Australian state. The article concludes by suggesting that although the Australian experience bears specific local inflections, it nevertheless parallels global surveillance trends in the intensification of searchable databases engaged in processes of inclusion and exclusion.