The Graphic Truth: European reliance on Russian gas

A physical border falls, a digital one rises

Some 118 years after it was installed, the border fence between Spain and the British overseas territory of Gibraltar fell on Tuesday, after the European Union and the United Kingdom clinched a long-awaited deal last year over how to manage the border in the wake of Brexit. But while one wall falls, another one rises. As part of the deal, those who cross the border are now subject to live facial recognition cameras, creating what amounts to a digital border. This system affects some 15,000 Spaniards who travel to and from Gibraltar for work each day. What’s more, those traveling to “the Rock” from outside the Schengen Zone (a border-free travel area of Europe) must hand over biometric data collected via photos and fingerprints. Much of the world, including the US, has also been expanding the use of this technology for those traveling both into and out of countries, prompting concerns over privacy.