<http://allafrica.com/stories/printable/200405170340.html> US to Collaborate With Interpol On Passport Data This Day (Lagos) NEWS May 16, 2004 Posted to the web May 17, 2004 By Nneoma Ukeje-Eloagu Washington DC US Department of State weekend announced a new programme that would contribute substantially to worldwide travel document security and ability to impede the movement of terrorists and other criminals. To accomplish this, America is joining many other countries in providing current information on issued passports reported lost or stolen to the Interpol, lost and stolen document database which is available to border authorities worldwide. A statement from the department explained that under the programme, issued US passports, reported lost or stolen, are immediately invalidated, added to an electronic database, and may not be used for travel. However to protect the original passport holder's privacy, the name and biographical data from the passport would not be given to Interpol. Only the passport number, country of issuance and document type would be provided to Interpol. During the processing of travelers' documents at ports of entry, if a hit occurs against the Interpol database, the hit would be verified with US authorities before action is taken against the bearer of such a passport, the department further explained. Travel document fraud, including the fraudulent application and use of the US passport, represents a serious and growing threat to US national security and it is believe this new program is a significant step in the direction of curbing not only terrorism, but also identity theft and other types of identity fraud US citizens are encouraged to notify the department of the loss or theft of their passport at the earliest possible moment as a measure of preventing misuse of the document and identity theft. It said US citizens could obtain information on how to report a passport lost or stolen by consulting the Department's Bureau of Consular Affairs website http://travel.state.gov while US citizens traveling or residing abroad should contact the nearest Embassy or Consulate abroad to report loss or theft of their passport. -- ----------------- R. A. Hettinga <mailto: rah@ibuc.com> The Internet Bearer Underwriting Corporation <http://www.ibuc.com/> 44 Farquhar Street, Boston, MA 02131 USA "... however it may deserve respect for its usefulness and antiquity, [predicting the end of the world] has not been found agreeable to experience." -- Edward Gibbon, 'Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire'