Note: This column represents the opinions
of the writer and as such, is not purported as fact
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Anyone who has flown into the USA recently will realise that the Americans
are dead-serious about protecting their borders.
Retinal scans, fingerprints and a very close scrutiny of your passport are all
par for the course these days as they try to prevent the entry of terrorists,
illegal immigrants and insurance salesmen.
To this end they're now demanding that other countries fall into line
and update their passports to include biometric information and the ability
for their contents to be read electronically.
Wow, you might think, that's going to be hard to beat...
BZZZT -- wrong.
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For some crazy, unknown reason, the USA are not incorporating any form of
encryption into their RFID-based passport technology.
It seems that the information contained on what's referred to as the "data page"
will be transmitted in an easily read format rather than protected by a level
of encryption that would make it harder for others to steal your identity.
Stuff like your name, date and lace of birth, your picture, etc
will be beamed by short-range radio to anyone with the right energising
equipment who is close enough to excite the chip in your passport.
To counter this problem, there's a plan to incorporate some form of RF screening
into the covers of the passport so that it'll only be readable when open -- but
I've seen plenty of people standing in line at immigration holding an open passport
at their side so it's not a 100% solution.
Perhaps an even bigger worry is not that the information is so easily readable,
but that, having captured the data, it becomes a lot simpler for a would-be
identity thief to duplicate a person's passport without their knowledge.
There's also the risk that those policing the borders will become too reliant
on this technology -- thus making it easier for people using duplicated passports
to slip through the system.
If media reports are to be believed, this approach seems to typify the US attitude to
security: put shutters and extra locks on the windows, fill the tiny cracks in the
wall -- but leave the back door open.
Personally, I find the whole immigration thing at US airports to be so bad
that I would not travel back their unless it was absolutely necessary.
What is it about immigration officers?
They're often the first face a person sees when arriving in another country
on holiday or for business. You'd think they'd be trained to be polite, pleasant
and inviting. Instead they're almost universally rude, abrupt and arrogant (although
some Kiwi ones have been quite nice).
Have the changes to the US border procedures put you off visiting The States?
Which country, in your experience, has the worst immigration officials?
Lighten Up
It's nice to have a Kiwi entry in this week's Lighten up. Just what would
you do if you got a flat tyre but couldn't find a jack? Well
these guys have the problem solved.
Talk about hi-tech solutions to low-tech problems!
Aardvark Forums
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