Government ID, Smart Cards, Identification and Authentication

Report: Delay new border rules?

Thursday, March 19, 2009

Congressmen representing border states are asking the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to postpone ID rules scheduled to take affect this summer, according to a report in the Buffalo News.

Lawmakers suggested the government postpone the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative until after the Vancouver Winter Olympics, scheduled for Feb. 12-28, 2010. The initiative will require travelers to have a passport, passport card or enhanced driver license before crossing the border.

Homeland Security Sec. Janet Napolitano said she would work with the lawmakers on the issue.

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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.

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CBP denies report

A Canadian man uses a scanned image of his passport from his iPad to get past Customer and Border Protection officials, according to a report from the AP.

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A journalist for the Mingpao Daily has managed to spoof a biometric self-service kiosk used for immigration clearance at the Hong Kong-China border, according to a PC Advisor article.

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A new report on the market for biometric technology in India forecasted a 42.4% compound annual growth rate for the industry in the four year span. TechNavio, a market intelligence reporting company, reviews and forecasts the period of 2010 through 2014 from

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The UK Border Agency has announced intentions to require applicants applying for six-month stays from outside the European Economic Area to use biometric residency permits starting at the end of February 2012, according to an HR Magazine article.

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The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agency is set to open a new Ready Lane at the San Ysidro port of entry for persons crossing the border with RFID-embedded travel documents.

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