In the coming years, traditional paper passports may become a relic of the past. They will be replaced by facial recognition technologies and smartphones, which are generally poised to become the new standard for identity verification at airports around the world.
Image source: Global Residence Index / Unsplash
The transition to the new system is already being actively tested in different countries. Thus, in Finland, Canada, the Netherlands, the UAE, Great Britain, Italy, the USA and India, pilot projects for the passport-free movement of people are being carried out. According to TechSpot, in Singapore, citizens can already cross the border without a physical passport, and soon this opportunity will become available to tourists in this country.
The technology is based on the Digital Travel Credential (DTC) concept developed by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). DTC includes a virtual part with information similar to that stored in passport chips, and a physical part located on the traveler’s smartphone. Both parts are linked together by cryptographic authentication.
Preliminary testing of DTC showed positive results. In Finland, a pilot project enabled identity verification in just eight seconds, with technical processing taking only two seconds. However, despite the appeal of reducing queues at airports, the transition to digital documents still poses privacy and security concerns. In particular, experts warn about the lack of transparency of the technology and the risks of data leaks and the possibility of surveillance of people. Potential threats also include system failures, “lookalike fraud,” and cases of erroneous access denial. “We don’t really know how secure these systems are,” says Udbhav Tiwari, director of global product policy at Mozilla.
Another important issue remains data management. Adam Tsao, digital identity project manager at Entrust, emphasizes the importance of limiting access to data by providing only the minimum necessary information for a limited time. However, as the expert admits, achieving this level of control requires a lot of effort.
The introduction of biometric identification at airports is controversial. For example, in India, the Digi Yatra facial recognition system used at 24 airports has drawn criticism due to the mandatory nature of its use. At the same time, India plans to open Digi Yatra to foreign citizens in 2025, and in the future to introduce this technology in hotels and historical sites, which will only intensify discussions about data privacy.
The question of whether digital systems will be able to completely replace traditional passports remains open, since despite the rapid development of technology, the transition to digital documents requires solving many legal, technical and ethical issues.