ASSOCIATED PRESS
January 2, 2008
WASHINGTON -- Passport cards for Americans who travel to Canada, Mexico, Bermuda and the Caribbean will be equipped with technology that allows information on the card to be read from a distance.
The technology was approved Monday by the State Department, and privacy advocates were quick to criticize the department for not doing more to protect information on the card, which can be used by U.S. citizens instead of a passport when traveling to other countries in the Western Hemisphere.
The technology would allow the cards to be read from up to 20 feet away. This process only takes one or two seconds, said Ann Barrett, deputy assistant secretary for passport services at the State Department. The card wouldn't have to be physically swiped through a reader, as is the current process with passports.
The technology is "inherently insecure and poses threats to personal privacy, including identity theft," Ari Schwartz, of the Center for Democracy and Technology, said in a statement. Mr. Schwartz said this specific technology, called "vicinity read," is better suited for tracking inventory, not people.
The State Department said privacy protections will be built into the card. The chip on the card won't contain biographical information, Ms. Barrett said.
The card vendor -- which has yet to be decided -- will also provide sleeves for the cards that will prevent them from being read from afar, she said.
A 2004 law to strengthen border security called for a passport card that frequent border crossers could use that would be smaller and more convenient than the traditional passport. Currently, officials must swipe travelers' passports through an electronic reader at entry points.
January 2, 2008
WASHINGTON -- Passport cards for Americans who travel to Canada, Mexico, Bermuda and the Caribbean will be equipped with technology that allows information on the card to be read from a distance.
The technology was approved Monday by the State Department, and privacy advocates were quick to criticize the department for not doing more to protect information on the card, which can be used by U.S. citizens instead of a passport when traveling to other countries in the Western Hemisphere.
The technology would allow the cards to be read from up to 20 feet away. This process only takes one or two seconds, said Ann Barrett, deputy assistant secretary for passport services at the State Department. The card wouldn't have to be physically swiped through a reader, as is the current process with passports.
The technology is "inherently insecure and poses threats to personal privacy, including identity theft," Ari Schwartz, of the Center for Democracy and Technology, said in a statement. Mr. Schwartz said this specific technology, called "vicinity read," is better suited for tracking inventory, not people.
The State Department said privacy protections will be built into the card. The chip on the card won't contain biographical information, Ms. Barrett said.
The card vendor -- which has yet to be decided -- will also provide sleeves for the cards that will prevent them from being read from afar, she said.
A 2004 law to strengthen border security called for a passport card that frequent border crossers could use that would be smaller and more convenient than the traditional passport. Currently, officials must swipe travelers' passports through an electronic reader at entry points.
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