Interior Minister Meir Sheetrit recently declared that as Israel's
passports and identity cards are easily counterfeited, he will push
to replace all of them to increase security and meet the increasingly
stringent requirements of other countries admitting Israeli visitors.
The Israeli branch of the 3M company was surely pleased to hear the
news. The mother company is one of the world's leaders in the
production of electronic and biometric documents. Biometric refers to
the scanning of parts of the body, from fingerprints to the internal
structure of the eye. No two people have the same biometric
characteristics - a fact that makes this the perfect system for
identification in the wake of terror threats.
So far, 40 countries - including Germany, France and England - have
changed their passport system to a biometric one that includes
information about the bearer encrypted into a chip. The US is in the
process of the changeover.
According to Amit Hayut, director of the security and government
sector for 3M-Israel, the electronic passport is in effect a "book"
whose first page contains a chip with all the relevant data about its
holder. There is a digital photo, plus the possibility of
crossmatching the holder with biometric information from his eye or
fingerprint. In the future, voice identification and even DNA records
might be included. When the holder reaches airport security, the
passport and individual will be scanned to see if the data match, and
whether the person is permitted to pass. Such a system is expected to
be operating in all European airports and the US by 2009, so all
Israeli citizens will need electronic documentation if they want to
travel to these destinations.
Amit says e-passports will shorten queues and even eliminate visa
applications. The cost of producing a biometric passport is $10 to
$20, compared to $3 today. Of course, countries will also have to
invest in electronic "readers." Amit maintains that his firm offers
more comprehensive solutions, and is ready to start producing
e-passports in less than a year.