Europe opts for biometric passports

[R.A. Hettinga]

<http://news.com.com/2102-1012_3-5429679.html?tag=st.util.print>

CNET News

 Europe opts for biometric pasports
 By Lars Pasveer
 http://news.com.com/Europe+opts+for+biometric+pasports/2100-1012_3-5429679.html


 Story last modified October 27, 2004, 5:56 PM PDT


Ministers for European Union member states agreed on Tuesday to adopt
biometric passports.

The first biometric passports are set to arrive in 18 months and initially
will record the facial characteristics of the bearer.

 In three years, European travelers will also have to provide a fingerprint
for the passport. The facial and fingerprint data will be stored on an
embedded chip, along with a digital copy of the bearer's photo.

 The decision, made at a meeting of interior ministers in Luxembourg, is
not yet final. Austria, Finland and the Netherlands have voiced minor
concerns about the proposal, but they will probably not turn out to be
insurmountable obstacles.

 The European push for biometrics is heavily influenced by a United States
policy change for passports for people from "visa waiver" countries after
the Sept. 11 attacks. U.S. plans to introduce a biometric passport
requirement by this fall for these countries were widely seen as
unrealistic. However, by Oct. 26 next year, all visitors from these
countries will have to provide a machine-readable passport with biometric
data.

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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
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