US to Collaborate With Interpol On Passport Data

[R. A. Hettinga]

<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.



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R. A. Hettinga <mailto: rah at 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'