Electronic Passports: Traveling in the Technical Age

Although the new passport technology has stirred up a lot of debate, the U.S. State Department began distributing electronic passports to U.S. citizens on August 14, 2006. These modern passports contain an electronic chip that includes all of the citizen’s information (such as name, birth date and gender) that was formerly included on the paper passport.

Although the U.S. State Department promises that the new passports will help speed up airport customs and security lines, some travelers worry that any small glitch in the system could cause even longer waits.

What’s New

The updated passports look very similar to the old paper version. The only difference is that the electronic passports are a little thicker due to the smart-card chip embedded in the back page. When customs officers scan the new passports with an electronic reader, the chip wirelessly transmits data to the officer’s computer screen using radio frequency identification technology. If a citizen’s passport chip breaks or malfunctions, the passenger can continue to use the passport as a paper passport or buy a new one.

Security Questioned

Critics of the new passport, including some privacy groups, claim that the technology could create security risks. These opponents say that the personal information contained on the passport chips could be copied and transferred to another device. However, because the information on the passport chips is encrypted, the data cannot be altered, according the Smart Card Alliance (SCA).

SCA is a nonprofit group made up of government agencies and industry players. SCA representatives maintain that someone stealing one of the new electronic passports would be no different from stealing an old paper passport. If an electronic passport information is stolen, no other traveler could use that passport because their face will not match the photo in the encrypted data.

Privacy Issues

On the other hand, privacy groups argue that hackers could pick up the electronic signal while the new passports are being scanned in the airport and use the passenger’s information for malicious purposes. Regardless, the State Department has tested the new technology in a pilot project over the past year, and they maintain that the new passports are completely safe. The government also points out that the advantages of the new smart chip passports far outweigh the disadvantages.

Price Increase

Although the State Department assures that the new passports will offer benefits such as convenience and shorter wait lines, one of the disadvantages is a higher price. U.S. citizens can now expect to pay $97 for a passport, $12 more than the paper versions. The increase represents a security surcharge that was added in 2005. Additionally, not all passports will include the new technology until the program is fully in effect, which may not be for another year.

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