The Paper Passport Is Dying

In a few years, no matter where you live or travel, your face will likely be your new passport.

For centuries, people have used some form of passport when moving from one place to another. But widespread standardization of passports as we know them today didn’t really start until later 1 world warwhen passports are usually used as a security measure and to prevent spies from entering the country. Even then, some are considered passports will be “an anachronism in the modern world”.

But the use of paper passports was the first In 2006, they were digitized as “e-Passports” with NFC chips— is slowly undergoing one of its biggest transformations to date. The travel industry, airports and governments are trying to eliminate the need to show your passport when flying internationally. Finally, you may not need to carry your passport at all.

Instead, facial recognition technology and smartphones are increasingly being used to verify and confirm your identity with travel details before you take off. Advocates argue that these systems can reduce waiting times and “friction” you experience at airports. But privacy experts warn that there is little transparency about the technologies being deployed, and their dissemination could lead to data breaches and heightened surveillance.

The cancellation of paper passports is happening all over the world. Until now, Finnish airports, CanadaHolland, the United Arab EmiratesGreat Britain, Italyunited states of america, Indiaand elsewhere are testing various levels of passport-free travel or the technology needed to make it happen. In October, officials in Singapore announced residents can fly in and out of the country without using their documents and foreign visitors can “enjoy the convenience of passport-free clearance when leaving Singapore”. According to officials, more than 1.5 million people have used the systems.

Athina Ioannou, a lecturer in business analytics at the University of Surrey in the UK, says “it’s probably going to become the main mode of travel in the near future, as far as I can tell.” types of travel. Ioannou says the Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated contactless travel, and many efforts are being made to move passengers through airports quickly.

While trials around the world are at different stages and use different technical infrastructure, they work in broadly similar ways: Data, including facial data, is digitally stored and linked to your phone, instead of historically stored on your passport’s NFC chip. It plans to establish the EU official travel app for that. When you’re at the airport, the phone can be shown and the facial recognition camera will try to match you to your passport photo.