From: New York Times
LYON, France — Interpol, the international police agency, is considering whether to seek a profit out of fighting crime by using its global database of stolen passports to charge airlines, banks, cruise lines and hotels to screen identity documents.
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The new system is also a way to augment the agency’s annual budget — 81 million euros, or about $103 million, last year for a staff of more than 800. It is currently funded through contributions from 190 member states, including the United States. It also received about $28 million in grants last year from companies like the tobacco giant Philip Morris International, which aligned with it to combat the smuggling of counterfeit cigarettes, and from organizations like FIFA, soccer’s governing body, to investigate illegal betting.
