Biometrics and Interoperability Combine to Shrink the Market for Stolen Passports

Curbing passport abuses (Asia One News)

The theft and sale of Malaysian passports could end soon when Kuala Lumpur signs in to a global system for e-passport validation, which enables other countries to read details, such as fingerprints, in the chip embedded in the passport.

Black market sales of Malaysian passports are a thriving business as citizens of countries with dubious reputations pay good money to enjoy the same treatment Malaysians get at entry points.

Government sources said while Malaysia's e-passports were embedded with a smart chip, other countries could not access the database or read the details.

However, by being a part of the International Civil Aviation Organisation's Public Key Directory, Malaysian passports would benefit from interoperability with border controls of at least 75 nations.

Interoperability refers to the ability of a system to work with other systems.

I like that this article puts Interoperability on an equal footing with Technology. Identity management is about people. An efficient and successful ID management system depends upon good information, good technology and good relationships between those who create (and vouch for) an identity document and those who accept the ID document as valid.