The papers discuss the dilemmas surrounding identities, be it biometrics or simply putting a face to a story. Meanwhile motorists are being spied on by their GPS devices and courts give cannabis home growers the high five. And: how can a couple of hungry camels put a smile on your face?

Putting faces to immigration cases throws up dilemmas
Immigration Minister Gerd Leers recently introduced a new asylum category after 14-year-old Sahar Hibrahim Ghel successfully petitioned that she had become too westernised to return to Afghanistan. As a result, the cases of westernised Afghan girls between the age of ten and 18 who have lived in the Netherlands for at least eight years will be reviewed.

The ruling, however, throws up new dilemmas which are to be debated in parliament today. De Volkskrant takes a look at past and present cases that have made the headlines. The paper acknowledges that “a story only becomes a story when it is given a face”.

But what about boys, and girls who do not quite meet the criteria? Children’s ombudsman Marc Dullaert accuses the minister of double standards “Identity has nothing to do with how old children are or whether or not they have been here for eight years.” Besides, he says, children’s rights include protecting them from armed conflict, which means not sending them back to countries like Afghanistan, Iraq or Angola.

Biometric passports under fire
Biometric passports are under fire reports Trouw. Even the conservative VVD has changed its mind about the safety of biometric data on Dutch passports. Last week two experts told a parliamentary hearing that they were silenced when they criticised the reliability and storage of biometric data.

The paper interviews VVD MP Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert about the party’s change of heart. She puts the previous political optimism down to the collective stress that developed after the 9/11 attacks in the US in 2001.

There are multiple problems with the relatively new technology to do with data storage, error margins and manipulation. All European countries are struggling with biometric passports and many are reviewing their legislation. Originally they were intended to combat identity fraud, but Ms Hennis-Plasschaert says the Dutch authorities started hanging all kinds of other legislation on it “like a Christmas tree”.

Max Snijder of the Scientific Council for Government Policy says, “Politicians let themselves be influenced by detectives series like CSI, but you really cannot catch terrorists with biometrics.”

TomTom spies on motorists
The Dutch GPS manufacturer TomTom has been passing information on its customers’s driving behaviour to the police. AD seems to have a scoop telling its readers that the popular satellite navigation gadget has been selling information on to the police via a third party, so that they know where the best place is to hold checks for speeding. Meanwhile, TomTom users are not aware that their driving behaviour is being scrutinised in this way.

According to AD, the information is stored in the device and passed on when, for example, the user renews its maps. TomTom claims the information is used to improve its products. The company’s terms and conditions do say that data is sold to third parties, but it does not elaborate. For around 18 months now, the data has been analysed for the police to identify where people tend to drive too fast.

High five for cannabis home growers
Cannabis growers will be giving each other the high five after yesterday’s court ruling that they will not be prosecuted for cultivating up to five cannabis plants at home. The only snag is that they do have to give up their harvest if the police come knocking at their door reports Trouw.

The Ministry of Justice tolerates small-scale home growing. However, there was confusion about the quantity of cannabis one could grow; 30 grams is the condoned amount for an individual to carry, but five plants can yield much more. One case came to court after police tried to prosecute a home grower who had harvested 2180 grams from one plant and was about to harvest four others. The court has ruled that the quantity of drugs does not matter as long as production is not commercial.

Golden Grin goes to two camels
Dutch photographer Hans Palmboom has won the first Golden Grin award for the funniest photo of the year. Nrc.next prints a centre-page picture of two dromedaries outside a residential compound in Dubai with their heads in rubbish skips, apparently looking for a meal.

The prize was set up by Dutch photographers Roger Cremers and Merlijn Doomernik to promote humour in photography. Unfortunately there is no prize money because the award does not have any sponsors. But take a look - it could put a smile on your face this morning.