[IP] more on Canada-U.S.-Mexico borders to become biometric passport zones

[David Farber <dave@farber.net>]

------ Forwarded Message
From: Brian Thomas Sniffen <bts@alum.mit.edu>
Date: Wed, 06 Apr 2005 11:48:38 -0400
To: <dave@farber.net>
Subject: Re: [IP] Canada-U.S.-Mexico borders to become biometric passport
zones

David Farber <dave@farber.net> writes:

> "Ultimately, all documents used for travel to the U.S. are expected to
> include biometrics that can be used to authenticate the document and verify
> identity." [U.S. State Dept press release at:
> http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2005/44228.htm ]

That's a pretty horrifying comment, isn't it?  This document has an
iris fingerprint stored in an RFID tag, so it *must* be authentic.
And you've got the same iris, so you're verified!

It worries me to see such statements thrown around without support or
comment.  Biometrics do no good to authenticate a document.  They
serve only one purpose: to prove that a present human is described by
a document.

-Brian

-- 
Brian Sniffen                                       bts@alum.mit.edu

------ End of Forwarded Message


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