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August 10, 2005
US tests RFID passports
About 300 United Airlines employees stationed on international flights received new passports in mid-June as part of a three-month, three-country test of IDs equipped with RFID chips.
The RFID chip doesn't actively broadcast, but, with the right equipment, it can be read from a distance. That potential for remote identification draws sharp concern from privacy activists, travel groups, and many others.
The test at United Airlines is intended to see how easily Australia, New Zealand and the United States can read other's e-passports and how durable the chips are under constant use.
The 64-KB chips store a copy of the information from a passport's data page, including name, date of birth and a digitized version of the passport photo. To prevent counterfeiting or alterations, the chips are digitally signed.
The United States is requiring all 27 countries whose citizens do not need visas (note that this excludes countries whose citizens require visas such as India and Bangladesh) to visit to begin issuing e-passports by October 2006.
Posted by admin at August 10, 2005 08:22 AM