Biometrics Hot New Government ID

Just after we published the lead article in the last HOTLINE about biometric identification and access devices, the U.S. Passport Services announced their plans to move forward with biometric passports, starting in October 2004. The new passport books will include a contactless smart chip based on the 14443 standard, with a minimum of 32 Kbytes of EEPROM storage. The chip will contain a compressed full-face image for use as a biometric. The image and the passport information stored on the contactless chip will be digitally signed to ensure the integrity of both the data and the passport itself.

The United States issues about seven million passports per year.

Copyright © 2003 Bankers' Hotline. Originally appeared in Bankers' Hotline, Vol. 13, No. 8, 11/03