--- From: "Mackenzie, Kate" <mackenziekat_private> To: "'Declan McCullagh'" <declanat_private> Subject: Australia to trial biometric passport ID Date: Wed, 15 May 2002 17:50:25 +1000 Among the measures announced in the Australian federal budget last night: BIOMETRIC technology to compare people's faces with their passport photographs will be trialled under Budget measures aimed at reducing the risk of terrorist attacks. Treasurer Peter Costello has allocated $3 million to test if a new "facial biometric identifier" now under development can virtually eradicate the potential for passport fraud. Initially, the identifier would be used to scan millions of existing passport photographs stored in Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade files. According to government officials, the identifier uses digital technology to match each photograph by recording the distinctive characteristics of the passport-holder's face. When a person applies for a new passport, the identifier compares the features of the stored photograph with the applicant's face to ensure the application is legitimate. "Even if the photograph is 10 years old, and the person has since gone bald or grown a beard, the biometric identifier is capable of making a positive match," an official told The Australian. http://australianit.news.com.au/articles/0,7204,4323132%5E15306%5E%5Enbv%5E,00.html regards, Kate Kate Mackenzie Journalist The Australian http://www.australianIT.com.au ------------------------------------------------------------------------- POLITECH -- Declan McCullagh's politics and technology mailing list You may redistribute this message freely if you include this notice. To subscribe to Politech: http://www.politechbot.com/info/subscribe.html This message is archived at http://www.politechbot.com/ Declan McCullagh's photographs are at http://www.mccullagh.org/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sign this pro-therapeutic cloning petition: http://www.franklinsociety.org -------------------------------------------------------------------------
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : Wed May 15 2002 - 13:55:57 PDT