Response from Thales Group to questions on the provision of surveillance tech and due diligence in the context of migration or border control in MENA
We thank you very much for the mail you sent to our Thales Alenia Space teams on July 7th regarding solutions offered to MENA countries.
We unfortunately may not be able to answer to all your questions as some of these subjects are confidential, mainly for security reasons. Border control issues are very sensitive in a world where traffics of people and goods tend to fast develop, particularly in areas close to unstable countries or to war zones.
However, we can provide you with some more general information that might help you to understand the strong ethical and integrity policies developed by Thales in all its markets, everywhere in the world.
As you underlined it, Thales provides identity and security solutions for many States and Governments. That’s an essential challenge in a world where, according to WorldBank statistics, 1bn people do not have a valid identity document and therefore cannot exert their citizenship rights. This activity also directly complies with the UN SG 16.9 : By 2030, provide legal identity for all, including birth registration.
As you can read it on our website (https://www.thalesgroup.com/en/markets/digital-identity-and-security/government) Thales Identity solutions are secure, and ensure regulatory compliance and protection of data privacy. We provide solutions that are designed for privacy requirements such as the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation), the CCPA (California Privacy Act), and regulatory compliance such as KYC (Know Your Customer) and PSD2.
On these subjects, we have developed very strong ethical and integrity commitments that are detailed in these documents:
Last but not least, Thales has a track record of a long-lasting commitment towards Human Rights. Not only we have been signatory of the United Nation Global Compact for nearly twenty years, but also we have deployed a due diligence plan that encompasses such Human Right issues throughout the Group (please see our Universal Registration Document Chapter 5 and our 2022 Integrated Report).
We hope that these elements will convince you of the strong commitment of Thales regarding Human Rights.