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E-Passport Testing to Begin at San Francisco International
Airport
For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
Contact: Media Services, 202-298-5200
January 13, 2006
WASHINGTON, D.C. — A live test of e-Passports, that contain contactless
chips with biographic and biometric information and the readers that are
capable of reading these e-Passports, begins January 15, 2006 at Terminal G
at San Francisco International Airport (SFO). This test is a collaborative
effort between the United States, Australia, New Zealand and Singapore that
will run through April 15, 2006.
“This test provides an important opportunity to work with our international
partners to further the Department of Homeland Security’s efforts to put in
place an e-Passport reader solution by the fall of this year,” said Jim
Williams, director of US VISIT, a Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
program.
Participants include citizens of Australia and New Zealand who have been
issued the new e-Passports, Singapore Airlines crew and officials holding
trial e-Passports and U.S. diplomatic and official e-Passport holders.
The test will assess the operational impact of using new equipment and
software to read and verify the information embedded in the e Passports.
Participants will present their e-Passports when arriving in the United
States at SFO, at Changi Airport in Singapore or at Sydney Airport in
Australia.
The e-Passport contains the holder’s biographic information and a biometric
identifier, in this case a digital photograph, embedded in a contactless
chip set in the passport. The inspection process for those participating
does not change.
The e-Passports being tested are enabled with a security feature known as
Basic Access Control (BAC), which helps prevent the unauthorized reading, or
“skimming,” of information from e Passports.
This is the second live test conducted between the United States, Australia
and New Zealand. The goal of the live test is to gather information that can
support countries around the world in their development and implementation
of e-Passports that comply with International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)
standards. It will also provide valuable information on the capability of
the reader technology.
“The results of the previous test, held at Los Angeles International Airport
(LAX) and Sydney Airport, indicated that further testing would be beneficial
to our development of a fully operational system,” Williams said. “So we
will conduct further testing to allow for the evaluation of new
technologies.”
Biometrics included in a contactless chip provides a further means by which
the identity of visitors may be verified, thus preventing entry by imposters
and the use of fraudulent documents. Biometrics provide border officials
with a critical tool in making admissibility decisions, thus enhancing
homeland security.
A DHS priority, US-VISIT enhances the security of our citizens and visitors,
facilitates legitimate travel and trade, ensures the integrity of our
immigration system and protects personal privacy. To date, more than 46
million visitors to the United States have been processed through US-VISIT
without adversely impacting wait times, and more than 990 criminals or
immigration violators have been intercepted as a result of the use of
biometrics.
For more information on US VISIT, or to learn more about entry procedures,
please visit the US VISIT Web site at
www.dhs.gov/us-visit.
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