All New U.S. Passports Scheduled To Be Electronic By End Of April

[babylonsister]

http://www.investors.com/editorial/IBDArticles.asp?artsec=17&artnum=2&issue=20070329

All New U.S. Passports Scheduled To Be Electronic By End Of April

BY JULIE VALLONE

FOR INVESTOR'S BUSINESS DAILY

Posted 3/29/2007

However you feel about the many wireless devices that have insinuated themselves into U.S. culture, you might have to tote along at least one more if you plan any international travel. The "device" in question is the new U.S. Electronic Passport, which comes with its own embedded wireless chip and new security features.

The U.S. State Department began issuing U.S. e-passports in August. About half of recent passports issued are e-passports, with the goal of raising that number to 100% by the end of April. Renewals still use the old format.

The easiest way to identify the e-passport is by a small rectangular box that appears under the "United States of America" text in the lower center of the front cover.

The chip in the passport stores a variety of biometric data, including a digital photo, name, address, date of birth and other information that also appears on the photo page of your passport. In the future, it could also store such data as retinal scans and fingerprints.

Some Red Flags

For some — but not all — people, that's good news, giving the passport some added security by cutting down on forgeries. Storing data digitally makes it more difficult for someone else to use your passport by stealing it and altering your photo and personal data.

"What we are trying to do here is establish a much more secure link between the authorized bearer of the passport and the document," said Frank Moss, who this month retired as deputy assistant secretary for consular affairs at the State Department. "It greatly complicates the ability of that passport to be used for travel by anyone else."

For others wary of security and privacy issues, e-passports send up red flags.

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[grasswire]

1. huh?

"Renewals still use the old format"

Didn't some DUers get the chips in their renewed passports?

[mnhtnbb]

3. Renewed mine last Oct and got the old format

[Rex]

2. So they will be able to track us around the globe? Like GPS?

Hey, at the rate we are losing friends and making new enemies it might be good to have a homing beacon. So you can escape the angry mob. SOS for help. Just make sure it has a two way communicator!

"Help, WH WH, help! Angry mob found out I'm American! Need evac and on the run!"