SecurityRatty: Chertoff Says Fingerprints Aren't Personal Data

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Chertoff Says Fingerprints Aren't Personal Data

2008-04-21 06:54:40 by schneier in Schneier on Security

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff says:

QUESTION: Some are raising that the privacy aspects of this thing, you know, sharing of that kind of data, very personal data, among four countries is quite a scary thing.
SECRETARY CHERTOFF: Well, first of all, a fingerprint is hardly personal data because you leave it on glasses and silverware and articles all over the world, they're like footprints. They're not particularly private.

Sounds like he's confusing "secret" data with "personal" data. Lots of personal data isn't particularly secret.