Population census or the third degree?

Draft law “On register the population” was adopted in the first reading by the “house of representatives” of the Belarusian “parliament”.

The developers of the draft law suggest to bring together all existing information about Belarusians, add there personal data (property, education, marital status, workplace, blood type, etc., 26 points in general) and thus form an electronic state register. After that every Belarusian will receive an identification number.

It is supposed the register to be created and filled with main personal data within 3 years after the law adoption and official publication.

”The mentioned personal data form the basis of the register, as they allow to identify a physical person and provide filling of the register with necessary personal data of all persons, with new data added later to the register,“ Interfax learnt from the commission on national security of the ”house of representatives”.

It was noted in the “parliament” that according to the draft law, the population register will operate automatically. Any organisation–the receiver of information will have access to a strictly limited sector of personal data of the population register, every organisation will also have an identification key, which will be included into all information messages of an organisation. There was also explained that “the population register will automatically determine what information can be given to an organisation-receiver and what information can be received.”

The realisation of the first stage of the creation of the state register will take 3 years, cost BYR 45 billion and require staff of 700 people, as the developer have estimated. As Uladzimer Navumau, minister of internal affairs, rapporteur of this issue, emphasised “40 countries in the world have similar systems,” in some countries ID cards replace all documents.