Passport Card Technology OK'd By Washington, Criticized By Privacy Advocates

A State Department official says the process only takes one or two seconds. The card would not have to be physically swiped through a reader, as is the current process with passports. The State Department says privacy protections will be built into the card. Ann Barrett, deputy assistant secretary for passport services at the State Department, said Monday that the chip on the card will not contain biographical information. The card vendor - which has yet to be decided - will also provide sleeves for the cards that will prevent them from being read from afar, she said. However, Ari Schwartz, of the Center for Democracy and Technology, said in a statement that the technology is "inherently insecure and poses threats to personal privacy, including identity theft." http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/World/2007/12/31/4747260-ap.html

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