SecureIDNews | UK ID card unveiling sees protests

Sunday, September 28, 2008

The first phase of the United Kingdom biometric ID card system was unveiled to some citizens and politicians upset over the program, according to a ZDNet article. This first phase requires foreign nationals to get new ID cards with fingerprint data on them. The data will be stored indefinitely on a UK Identity and Passport Service database.

Among the concerns of the protesters is a lack of responsibility in storage and security of the biometric data. Other concerns are that the program is an invasion of privacy and that it will be a waste of money that will neither secure borders nor solve any immigration problems.

The system sees foreign nationals enrolling twice for the cards, once in their home country and again in the UK. In 2009 airport employees are joining the program followed by students in 2010 and the rest of the population in 2011.

Read the full story here

After long delays, Algeria launches biometric passports

After a nearly three-year delay, the Algerian government has finally launched its biometric passport program.

Magharebia reports that the biometric passports, which contain a contactless smart card chip that holds a digitized photo, fingerprints and signature, were supposed to be released in 2009. But the documents were delayed due to complexities with the operation of the project and the need to thoroughly research and analyze other countries’ experiences with biometric passports.

Olympics’ VIPs to get fast-tracked aisle for immigration at Heathrow

The 25,000 VIPs, including athletes, coaches and officials, arriving for the summer Olympics in London through Heathrow International Airport will have a dedicated passport lane just for them when passing through immigration, according to a Daily Mail article.

State Department pilots online passport card applications

As part of the U.S. Department of State’s initiative to simplify and streamline customer service interactions and processes, the Office of Passport Services has started a 90-day pilot program for online passport card applications.

Jakarta airport opens biometric immigration gate

In an effort to streamline passenger security, Jakarta, Indonesia’s Soekarno-Hatta Airport has opened the country’s first biometric immigration gate.

Fingerprint biometric identification provider BIO-key International, Inc. and Oakwell Engineering Limited partnered to create the new gate, designed for use by passengers with electronic passports. Passengers submit their e-passports and authenticate with a fingerprint.

U.S. government settles smart card infringement case

The U.S. government has settled an infringement case with Leighton Technologies by agreeing to license its smart cards.

Leighton Technologies, a subsidiary of General Patent, filed a case against the federal government in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims in January 2010. Leighton alleged that 54 federal agencies used its six smart card patents without authorization. Leighton’s technology was also used in e-passports.

Registration of newborns mandatory for e-passport in UAE

The Emirates Identity Authority (EIDA) announced that the registration of Emirati newborns is now mandatory for electronic passports (e-passport) and ID cards, according to ArabianBusiness.com.

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UK ID card unveiling sees protests