Technology has become a part of our lives for a long time. We use various smart gadgets, applications, and software that help to make our lives much easier in many ways.
Technology has also long touched how our passports work. Many have probably already heard about the new passports, which are advanced in terms of what information they store about citizens. The first such documents, called electronic or biometric, appeared more than twenty years ago in Malaysia. However, even after such a period, many countries are still coming to start using them.
If you look at how both documents look externally, the old and the new, then you are unlikely to notice any differences. They are still paper, but the new document has a distinctive feature that stores all the data about us that confirms our identity.
We are talking about a special chip embedded in the cover. A fairly small chip contains a huge amount of information about us. Thanks to it, the process of crossing the border is now much faster compared to how much time we used to spend in the past.
We will talk about how the new technology works, as well as other details that may be of interest to you.
Contents
How does it work?
As we have already said, the significant difference lies in the technologically advanced feature, namely the microchip. Such a device contains all the necessary information to recognize the identity of each person, which makes it possible to simplify the identification process.
It’s incredibly small, so you might not even notice it. However, you can also distinguish a new document from an old one by the fact that you will notice a golden icon on the cover of an electronic document, which will indicate that the document contains biometric information.
This device contains your unique data. This includes your digital image to be scanned by special software, as well as your fingerprints and an image of your retina. Digital photography is the main requirement and today you can take such a photo without leaving your home, as there are various tools to help you take a photo that will meet all the criteria. So, you can do a CVS passport photo at no cost.
Having such a document, travelers can now avoid standing in long queues at passport control. Now everyone can use special devices to verify their identity. Roughly speaking, you will need to approach the scanner, and while the scanning process is in progress, you will need to look at the screen. The whole process does not take much time, which greatly simplifies the life of travelers.
Obvious benefits
In any aspect where advanced technologies are used, many advantages can be identified. Here are the benefits of the new document:
- No long queues at passport control. You just need to approach the scanner and, in a few minutes, you will be able to move on;
- It is impossible to forge such a document. Information can be read only when close to the scanner;
- A high level of security is provided by a special infrastructure. It is used to check data for authenticity, as well as to intercept any actions of fraudsters.
Some concerns
It is not known for sure how well the security protocols work. Fraudsters are constantly improving their methods of work and any flaw in the security system of such documents can lead to the fact that citizens’ data will simply be stolen.
In addition, many people are concerned that the data stored on the device is unencrypted since this is not a requirement. In this regard, if fraudsters can get access, then it will not be difficult for them to steal it and use it for personal purposes, or sell it to a third party.
What to do in case of loss?
Many travelers have experienced the loss of their passports more than once. This happens due to inattention or due to thieves at destinations. It would be convenient if such a document could be found, as this can be done in case of the loss of smartphones. In such cases, gadget owners only need to use special software. However, there is no such convenient solution for an e-passport in case it is lost.
First of all, you need to contact law enforcement agencies, that is, the local police. After you write a statement about the loss or theft, you need to immediately contact the embassy of your country. This is necessary for you to be issued a temporary document that will allow you to return home. To do this, you will need to provide all the information about yourself. By the way, you should definitely have a copy of your document.
Conclusion
To date, more than a hundred countries around the world have adopted a new type of identifying document. They offer their owners many benefits, the most important of which is the ease of travel. In addition, the forgery of such a document is impossible and is easily detected when fraudsters try.
