The Department of State says it is developing an electronic passport that will enhance document and border security, while facilitating international travel for U.S. citizens. The Department plans to issue the first electronic passports in December 2005. By October 2006, all domestic passport agencies will issue electronic passports.
The new passport will combine facial recognition and contactless chip technology. The chip, which will be embedded in the cover of the passport, will hold exactly the same information that is printed in the passport: name, date of birth, gender, place of birth, dates of passport issuance and expiration, passport number, and photo image of the bearer. A digital signature will protect the stored data from alteration and mitigate the threat of photo substitution.
To address concerns that the chips may be susceptible to unauthorized reading (skimming in the industry parlance), the Department will incorporate anti-skimming technology in the front cover. The Department will also use basic access control (BAC) technology in the new passport. BAC prevents the chip from being accessed until the passport is opened and its machine-readable zone on the data page is read electronically. The anti-skimming feature and BAC, when taken together, will prevent unauthorized reading of the electronic passport.
The proposed rule relating to the electronic passport was published in the Federal Register for public comment on February 18, 2005.
2,335 comments were submitted. From the Federal Register:
"All comments have been read, sorted, and tabulated according to primary concerns. Comments opposing the proposed rule primarily focus on security and/or privacy, the adequacy of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), technology, and religious concerns. Specifically, concerns focused as follows: 2019 comments listed security and/or privacy; 171 listed general objections to use of the data chip and/or the use of RFID; 85 listed general objections to use of the electronic passport; 52 listed general technology concerns; and 8 listed religious concerns. Overall, approximately 1% of the comments were positive, 98.5% were negative, and .5% were neither negative nor positive."
New Design for the U.S. e-Passport
The comments and other information about the electronic passport can be found on thetravel.state.gov website.
