State Department Approves Passport Cards
The U.S. State Department Monday approved the use of passport cards for persons traveling to Canada, Mexico, Bermuda and the Caribbean. The cards contain ‘vicinity read’ technology that allows them to be read from a distance of up to 20 feet away and does not require the traditional electronic swiping method used with passports.
In response to privacy concerns, the State Department claims that information included in the card will not be biographical in nature and that protections such as vendor provided sleeves for the cards will keep them from being read at a distance. The passport card was proposed in October 2006 in an effort to strengthen border control and make the use of passports more convenient.
Source: http://news.findlaw.com/ap/o/51/12-31-2007/6ccd00100efef4b9.html;
