[LINK] RFID Passports again

[Roger Clarke]

At 12:52 +1100 18/11/06, Kim Holburn wrote:
>http://www.guardian.co.uk/idcards/story/0,,1950226,00.html
>>  Cracked it!

Useful article (although it pays to be wary of the dear old Grauniad).

A couple of specifics:

>>  But what about facial recognition systems (your biometric passport
>>  contains precise measurements of key points on your face and head)?

Still this myth persists, reticulated endlessly.


>>  "Yes," says Grunwald, "but they are not yet in operation at
>>  airports and the technology throws up between 20 and 25% false
>>  negatives or false positives. It isn't reliable."

Where did he get those numbers?  Suppliers, aided by government 
agencies, work very, very hard to avoid data like that escaping into 
the wild.

My arguments about the complete uselessness of 'facial recognition' 
technology are systemic. i.e. it has no valid basis and *can't* work 
reliably.  It would be very nice if some empirical demonstrations of 
that became publicly available.

Note, however, that the lies perpetrated by Customs and DFAT about 
facial recognition being effective were a device, to achieve a trojan 
horse.

Facial recognition is a 'soft-sounding' kind of biometric.  Having 
got people used to that one, government agencies will replace it with 
others that work less badly, and intrude far, far more into civil 
liberties.  The low-grade people we vote into Parliament passed the 
new Passports Act without reading it, not only sweeping away decades' 
worth of checks and balances, but also granting the public sector 
carte blanche to put whatever biometric they like in passports - 
provided only they can jump the trivial hurdle of convincing their 
Minister of the day to sign the chit.


>>  ...  The conclusion was that pictures would
>>  not improve security  ...

Sounds like at least we're *finally* getting over that particular myth.

Remember when Gareth Evans got the Australia Card through Caucus by 
proposing that the photo be taken off it?  Late 1986, early 1987.


-- 
Roger Clarke                  http://www.anu.edu.au/people/Roger.Clarke/

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Visiting Professor in Info Science & Eng  Australian National University
Visiting Professor in the eCommerce Program      University of Hong Kong
Visiting Professor in the Cyberspace Law & Policy Centre      Uni of NSW