RFID-enabled Passports Set to Debut Next Week
Jul 30, 2006
Computerworld reports that the U.S. State Department expects to start issuing "e-Passports" next week that contain data about the passport holder on an RFID chip embedded inside the back cover. The e-Passports will first be issued by the Denver passport office, with plans for all American passports to be RFID-enabled by 2017. The e-Passports are designed to be harder to forge, and easier to track if they are lost or stolen.
Critics of the RFID passport program cite privacy and security concerns, most notably the risk of hackers accessing passport data. You can read more about the technology and the U.S. State Department's official position on e-Passports on its site.
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