<TABLE cellSpacing=2 cellPadding=2 width=605 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top align=middle colSpan=2>[size=+2]U.S. will put computer chip in each new passport by next year[/size]
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The U.S. State Department plans to start issuing electronic passports by December.
The agency said Tuesday that an electronic chip will be incorporated into the body of the passport, and the chip will hold the same information that is printed within.
The chip will also contain facial features of the passport bearer, said the department. A digital signature will protect the stored data from alteration and reduce the threat of photo substitution. Right now U.S. passports are hot items on the black market in Costa Rica where a stolen passport can fetch up to $300.
The State Department's push is a response to the tightening identification procedures prompted by terrorist attacks.
The agency said that anti-skimming technology will be incorporated into the passport to prevent unauthorized access by persons not associated with the U.S. </TD><TD vAlign=top width=300>government. This would prevent someone with a reading device from scanning a crowd of travelers, for example,
Although the first electronic passports will be issued in December, the new technology will not be universal until October 2006, the agency said.
Now U.S. passports contain bar codes that help immigration and State Department employees keep track of who is entering and leaving the country. Airlines use the bar codes, too, in order to provide officials with information on passengers.
The department also said that some technology may be used that would keep the passport chip from being read until the bar code in the passport meets an electronic reader.
The new technology is likely to raise concerns among privacy advocates and others who believe that federal officials are seeking to create an electronic ID card for all citizens. </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
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By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The U.S. State Department plans to start issuing electronic passports by December.
The agency said Tuesday that an electronic chip will be incorporated into the body of the passport, and the chip will hold the same information that is printed within.
The chip will also contain facial features of the passport bearer, said the department. A digital signature will protect the stored data from alteration and reduce the threat of photo substitution. Right now U.S. passports are hot items on the black market in Costa Rica where a stolen passport can fetch up to $300.
The State Department's push is a response to the tightening identification procedures prompted by terrorist attacks.
The agency said that anti-skimming technology will be incorporated into the passport to prevent unauthorized access by persons not associated with the U.S. </TD><TD vAlign=top width=300>government. This would prevent someone with a reading device from scanning a crowd of travelers, for example,
Although the first electronic passports will be issued in December, the new technology will not be universal until October 2006, the agency said.
Now U.S. passports contain bar codes that help immigration and State Department employees keep track of who is entering and leaving the country. Airlines use the bar codes, too, in order to provide officials with information on passengers.
The department also said that some technology may be used that would keep the passport chip from being read until the bar code in the passport meets an electronic reader.
The new technology is likely to raise concerns among privacy advocates and others who believe that federal officials are seeking to create an electronic ID card for all citizens. </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
