Ramon Mangion

Are Biometric Passports the Way Forward?: an Investigation into the Properties of Biometric Passports and Related Security Issues Ramon Mangion

The need to introduce a travel document which would be harder to forge than the ones currently in circulation has been a major priority. Incorporation of biometric technology within the passport has been identified as one of the countermeasures to significantly reduce the forgery of travel documents. An important aspect of this project has been the investigation of approaches taken by international bodies and governments towards the successful adoption of biometric passports. Numerous individuals have argued in favour of biometric passports as being the right tool to eliminate terrorist activities. Events leading to the realisation of terrorist attacks had to be properly researched and analysed before formulating an opinion. Another target which I have set to achieve when conducting this project has been the proposal of new uses for biometric passports. Although there is a lack of research and information on this topic, the high-tech components within the biometric passport can be exploited in such a way that governments would be in a position to offer a range of avant-garde services to their citizens.