================================================================== 1. PREPARATIONS FOR BIOMETRIC CHIP IN EU PASSPORTS ================================================================== International technical standards bodies (ISO) and civil aviation bodies (ICAO) are preparing plans for 'globally interoperable machine readable passports'. The technology should consist of RFIDs (Radio Frequency Identification) that contain 'details that enable the machine-assisted identification of the presenter'. These technical descriptions point at passports that can transmit biometric data over a radio frequency. The organizations aim at 'fast-track deployment' presumably because of an October 2004 deadline. By that time the USA demand biometric data in passports issued by countries whose citizens normally don't need visa for travelling to the States, such as most EU countries. The US Enhanced Border Security and Visa Reform Act of 2002 states that those countries must have a program to issue "machine-readable passports that are tamper-resistant and incorporate biometric identifiers that comply with applicable biometric identifiers standards established by the International Civil Aviation Organization". During the June 2003 EU summit in Greece the European leaders already decided to develop a 'coherent approach on biometric identifiers' and a 'harmonized solutions for documents'. Cards and personal identification standards committee http://www.sc17.com/ Meeting document regarding contact-less chip technology for machine readable passports http://www.sc17.com/refined.cfm?DocumentNumber=2330 Wenn die Psse Bio-Daten funken (09.07.2003) http://futurezone.orf.at/futurezone.orf?read=detail&id=169869 EU Summit: Agreement on "harmonized" biometric identification linked to EU databases http://www.statewatch.org/news/2003/jun/22bio.htm ----------------------------------------------------- http://www.edri.org/cgi-bin/index?funktion=view&id=0001000001044 responses total.
Ah, RFID-enabled passports. I'll bet there's a market opening up for foil-lined passport envelopes, which prevents the RFID from being snooped until the passport is removed from it (and thus prevents use for casual surveillance).
You bet your (p)ass
Biometrics are useless if your criteria for issuing the document are weak. All a secure biometric system proves is that the person holding the document is the person who applied for it.
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