Jeremy Wickins

Sheffield

Researcher, Biometrics and Social Exclusion

It is a mystery to me why RFID was ever brought into the e-passport programme. The last thing a passport should do is transmit information. As it stands, one can never be sure the information has been lifted, since it can be done without taking the physical passport - a gift to identity fraudsters. If a chip was necessary (and I'm not convinced about that, either), then it should have been contact only - at least the passport would have to be stolen, and therefore missed by the owner, in order to get the info. Unfortunately, I suspect the RFID snake-oil salesmen correctly assessed the level of ignorance on the part of the commissioners - it was known for several years that the manufacturers were actively looking for a "killer app" that would make them a fortune.