In recent years, many debates and discussions have taken place in many European and North American countries regarding the need for issuing a secure ID. It goes without saying that such an ID usually should incorporate biometric data. In other countries, there exist ID cards systems that do not rely upon biometrics. Ethical questions relating to identity, privacy, liberty, human dignity and democracy are raised by the very act of implementing an identification system; incorporating biometrics amplifies and multiplies those questions. This article discusses the unique threats ascribed to the use of biometric technologies. We analyze the risks that are essentially similar to those inherent in all identification systems. We also focus upon those risks that are exclusive to biometric systems. Several criteria are suggested for assessing the rate of sensitivity associated with biometric systems. Three major biometric operational modes are described and evaluated according to those criteria, and the same is done with the five most popular technologies, creating a multi-dimensional matrix of sensitivity levels. The conclusion of the article is that biometric technologies, although useful, possess dangerous characteristics that may constitute threats to fundamental human and social rights. The public, legislators, decision makers, system founders, designers and developers, lack sufficient awareness (or concern) about these dangerous attributes, and biometric systems that are being implemented do not seem to be dealing with them adequately, or at all. As a result, threats to the individual are not identified, minimized or otherwise controlled. The article redefines the practical ethics and legal framework for dealing with personal sensitive information in the context of identification systems in general and biometric systems in particular, and calls for an informed public discussion regarding those issues.