The privacy of personal data is viewed
uniquely in different cultures and societies around
the world. This is why the ICAO effort has recommended
what it determined to be the most universally acceptable
biometric, the facial image, as the basis for use
in electronic passports. However, passports contain
a combination of personal data items which is, universally,
considered very important to control and protect.
This protection can be accomplished, to a degree,
by use of encryption of data and authentication technologies
by parties involved in data interchange transactions.
Perhaps the greater challenge is the establishment
of infrastructure and procedures which guarantee the
rights of citizens, while preserving the capability
of states to control their borders. Electronic Passport
Forum will provide opportunities to discuss the merits
of the various approaches, both technological and
legislative, to ensure the privacy of personal data
in the era of biometric-based electronic travel documents.
