ABI: U.S. DHS Should Act to Allay Public's e-Passport Security Concerns

July 31, 2006

Fueled by inaccurate speculation, a tide of popular concern is rising about the security of new "e-passports" the U.S. government will begin issuing to citizens next month. According to ABI Research, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) should speak out to reassure the public about the safety of the contactless technologies at the heart of the electronic travel documents.

"There are uneducated claims being made by some privacy advocates," said ABI Research industry analyst Sara Shah. "They make claims such as, 'If you have a contactless chip in your passport they can track you everywhere and they'll know everything about you.' This is simply not true, and the DHS should publicly explain what the technology is capable of, and why it is secure."

Not all those who question the appropriateness of contactless technology for personal identification are so extreme, analysts said. The Emerging Applications and Technology Subcommittee of the DHS Full Data Privacy and Integrity Advisory Committee issued a recent draft report that said, "RFID (radio frequency identification) appears to offer little benefit when compared to the consequences it brings for privacy and data integrity ... We recommend that RFID be disfavored for identifying and tracking human beings."

In response, the Smart Card Alliance pointed out that not all RFID systems are alike, and that the DHS committee should "include these differences clearly within the (final) report and conduct separate analyses of contactless smart cards and longer-range RFID technology."

Initially, the U.S. e-passport design had just one Basic Access Control (BAC) to unlock the encrypted information in the chip. In response to criticism, the government has added a "Faraday cage" - metal shielding built into the passport's covers, so it can only be read when opened.

Analysts said the contactless vendors in this market have a long history of providing secure technology. "Contactless technology is a short-range technology," said Shah. "There aren't readers or infrastructure everywhere capable of tracking e-passport holders. We don't think these debates - or the subcommittee's report - will have a significant impact on the issuing of the passports next month, however it may raise concerns in the long term for other ID document applications. We feel that the DHS should take steps to mitigate public concerns today."

Source: ABI Research.