The US Gets RFID e-Passports

According to reports, the US Department of State has started issuing electronic passports (e-passports) that are equipped with radio frequency identification (RFID) chips.

The RFID chips in the new passports store all the information typically contained in conventional passports, besides they can be scanned by chip readers at airports and other locales. The information held by the chips is the same as that on the first page of a traditional passport, viz name, date-of-birth, gender, place-of-birth, date-of-issue and expiry, passport number, plus digital image of owner.

The State Department says that "metallic anti-skimming material" in the front cover and spine of the book prevent information from being read from a distance, provided the book is fully closed. The new passport also deploys a cryptographic technique called "Basic Access Control," whereby the RFID chip reveals its contents only after a reader has authenticated itself as being authorized to receive information.

Although RFID-enabled e-passports are around 14 percent pricier than their predecessors, the State Department claims they carry added security benefits, as also offer advantages such as speedier processing.

The State Department is confident that despite certain problems associated with RFID chips - including the possibility of them being copied, the new e-passports will take security and travel facilitation to an altogether new level.

Besides, to prevent alteration/modification of data on RFID chips, the information on these chips will also include an electronic signature.
Meanwhile, the new e-passports are available for around $85 plus a security fee of $12. However, not all new passports issued will contain RFID chips, until the project is fully completed, which is expected to happen within a year's time.

Reportedly, the State Department's Colorado Passport Agency has started producing these passports, with the production facilities slated to be expanded in the coming few months.