Dateline: 07/21/04
Beginning in 2005, Canada will introduce new passports using biometrics in the form of digitized photos, passport officials told Canadian Press. The electronic passports will be tried out with diplomatic passports in the first half of the year, and if that goes well will be introduced to the general public later in the year.
Computer Chip in Passport
A computer chip in the passport will hold the passport photograph and personal information, including name and date of birth. Passports will then be able to be read by electronic readers at border crossings to verify the information contained in the passport. Passport officials say there is no plan to create a searchable database of the information contained on the passport chips.
The intention is only that border personnel can compare the information in the passport with the information contained in the chip. They also say the chip is not a scanning or tracking device, and will not be used to track where travelers have been.
Biometrics
Biometrics technology takes physical or behavioural characteristics of a person and converts them into digital data. The data is encrypted and stored, and can then be used to identify the person. Biometric identifiers include fingerprints, hand geometry, iris scan, facial recognition and voice.
Biometrics are increasingly being looked at to increase the accuracy and efficiency of identification at border crossings. CANPASS, a Canada Customs program to make the flow of goods and people between the U.S. and Canada more efficient, uses fingerscans to allow truck drivers to cross the border smoothly. In major Canadian airports, pre-approved members of the CANPASS Air Program go to a kiosk where a digital camera captures an image of the eye. In seconds, the technology can recognize the image as proof of identity.
Privacy Concerns
There are concerns about the intrusive nature of biometrics technology. Some critics warn that biometrics are not foolproof and there are dangers in data sharing. Jennifer Stoddart, the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, said in a speech in April 2004 that the Privacy Act is out of date and needs review in light of these new technologies. Just as worrisome, is the tendency of "scope creep," where new technologies are gradually extended to uses that were unintended or unforeseen when first introduced.
