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Time Business News
6 days ago
- Business
- Time Business News
Digital Passports and Biometric IDs: What They Mean for Your Privacy
VANCOUVER, Canada – As digital passports and biometric IDs replace traditional paper documents worldwide, a quiet revolution is reshaping how people move, identify themselves, and interact with governments. Behind the promises of seamless travel and borderless convenience lies a deeper, more controversial question: What are we giving up in exchange for that convenience? Amicus International Consulting, a global authority in legal identity change and digital privacy strategy, has released a new report examining the risks and consequences of biometric identification systems. The findings are clear: while digital identity offers speed and integration, it also centralizes surveillance and erodes personal privacy like never before. 'People see the convenience but not the control,' said a spokesperson from Amicus International. 'When your face, iris, or fingerprint becomes your passport, you can't lose it—but you also can't take it back.' What Are Digital Passports and Biometric IDs? A digital passport is an electronic version of a travel document stored on a mobile device or embedded in a biometric chip. Biometric passports are already in use in over 150 countries and include encrypted facial, fingerprint, or iris data. A biometric ID is any identity document—government-issued or otherwise—that uses biological traits to confirm a person's identity. These are increasingly linked across: Immigration databases Social welfare systems Healthcare platforms Voter registration networks Tax and financial services In 2024, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) launched a pilot program for Digital Travel Credentials (DTCs). Participants use facial scans and mobile apps to travel internationally without needing to show a physical passport. The Push Toward a Paperless Identity World Governments across the globe are accelerating plans to phase out traditional ID systems in favour of biometric ones: European Union: Launching the EU Digital Identity Wallet , storing everything from passports to driver's licenses. Launching the , storing everything from passports to driver's licenses. India: Over 1.4 billion residents enrolled in the Aadhaar biometric ID system —the largest of its kind. Over 1.4 billion residents enrolled in the —the largest of its kind. United Arab Emirates: Using biometric gates at all international airports, integrating data across borders, health, and finance. Using biometric gates at all international airports, integrating data across borders, health, and finance. Australia & New Zealand: Joint digital identity pilots for trans-Tasman travel without paper passports. Joint digital identity pilots for trans-Tasman travel without paper passports. China: Mandatory facial recognition for SIM cards, transport, and online purchases. Amicus warns that these systems, while efficient, often lack proper oversight, fail to offer opt-outs, and are vulnerable to hacking and abuse. Privacy Risks: When Your Identity Is in the Cloud Digital passports and biometric IDs create centralized repositories of personal information. The risks include: 1. Permanent Data Retention Unlike a lost passport, biometric data cannot be changed. Once compromised, a face scan or fingerprint remains vulnerable forever. 2. Cross-Database Integration Biometric IDs are now linked across sectors—your immigration file, tax profile, criminal history, and health records may all be connected under one digital identity. 3. Surveillance Expansion Biometric systems feed real-time data into AI-powered surveillance networks, including facial recognition CCTV, drone tracking, and border analytics. 4. Data Breaches Even secure databases have been breached. In 2023, India's Aadhaar system suffered a leak affecting 81 million citizens. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) lost biometric files in a 2021 cyberattack. 'Digital identity centralizes control,' said the Amicus spokesperson. 'It's efficient for governments, dangerous for citizens.' Case Study: Facial Recognition Triggers Border Detention A Canadian journalist travelling to Europe was flagged by facial recognition systems at Frankfurt Airport in 2023. The system had wrongly matched her image with a protester arrested in Berlin five years earlier. Despite different citizenship, age, and legal status, she was detained and questioned for six hours. Amicus helped her clear the digital flag and file for identity protection with multiple EU databases. The false match was caused by flawed AI training data linked to her facial structure. How Biometric Borders Work in 2025 Today's international travel experience often looks like this: Your flight booking is linked to your government ID and biometric profile. At check-in, a camera scans your face and retrieves your reservation information. At immigration, your iris and face are matched to your biometric passport. At the boarding gate, you scan nothing—just a camera that confirms your face matches your identity. No paperwork. No boarding pass. No personal interaction. The entire process is touchless, paperless—and thoroughly surveilled. Amicus' Role in Digital Privacy and Legal Identity Reinvention Amicus International offers privacy-focused solutions for individuals navigating the challenges of the digital identity age. These include: Second Passports through Legal Citizenship Programs: Helping clients acquire citizenship from nations that limit biometric sharing. Helping clients acquire citizenship from nations that limit biometric sharing. Legal Name and Identity Changes: Assisting with court-authorized transitions that align with privacy protection goals. Assisting with court-authorized transitions that align with privacy protection goals. Biometric Disassociation Services : Leveraging AI tools such as Fawkes and LowKey to prevent public images from training facial recognition systems. Leveraging AI tools such as and to prevent public images from training facial recognition systems. Extradition Risk Planning and Relocation: Offering safe, legal movement strategies for high-risk individuals. Offering safe, legal movement strategies for high-risk individuals. Digital Footprint Reduction: Removing or obscuring legacy online data tied to old names, photos, or identifiers. Amicus emphasizes that all services are legal, compliant, and focused on clients facing persecution, doxxing, or unjust surveillance. Who Is Most at Risk from Biometric Overreach? While privacy concerns affect everyone, Amicus has identified several high-risk groups: Journalists and whistleblowers LGBTQ+ individuals in hostile regimes Political dissidents and asylum seekers Religious or ethnic minorities under surveillance Domestic abuse survivors hiding from abusers with government access Transgender individuals whose appearance doesn't match biometric files For these clients, involuntary exposure through facial scans or biometric data matching can lead to violence, arrest, or retribution. Case Study: Transgender Client Denied Boarding A transgender woman travelling from the Middle East to Canada was denied boarding after facial recognition at the departure gate failed to match her passport image. Although her travel documents had been legally updated, the outdated biometric record caused a red flag. Amicus assisted her in securing a biometric exemption certificate and arranged a safer travel route through a country with manual immigration review. Her identity is now fully realigned through a second citizenship program. Digital IDs Beyond Borders: When Everything Is Connected In some countries, a digital ID is more than just a passport—it controls daily life. Examples: China: Citizens must scan their faces to buy train tickets, rent apartments, or open bank accounts. Citizens must scan their faces to buy train tickets, rent apartments, or open bank accounts. India: Aadhaar links every citizen's biometric ID to taxation, banking, healthcare, and voting. Aadhaar links every citizen's biometric ID to taxation, banking, healthcare, and voting. Estonia: Known for digital innovation, Estonia's national ID system manages everything from e-voting to medical prescriptions. The concern is not just surveillance, but the inability to live, work, or move without constant digital verification. Data Sovereignty and the Danger of Globalized Identity Systems Amicus is monitoring efforts by multinational bodies to standardize biometric data across borders. Initiatives such as: The Five Eyes Alliance data-sharing agreements (U.S., U.K., Australia, Canada, New Zealand) data-sharing agreements (U.S., U.K., Australia, Canada, New Zealand) The Schengen Entry/Exit System (EES) Interpol's global biometric watchlists World Bank-supported MOSIP (Modular Open Source Identity Platform) projects in developing nations These networks may increase security—but they also allow identity errors or political misuse to follow a person around the globe. 'A mistake in one country's system can become a permanent scar across a dozen others,' said the Amicus spokesperson. How to Defend Your Identity in the Biometric Age Amicus recommends these actions for individuals concerned about privacy: Opt Out Where Possible: Some countries still allow biometric travel waivers. Some countries still allow biometric travel waivers. Avoid Social Media Image Exposure: Public photos train AI facial models. Public photos train AI facial models. Use Legal Name Changes to Reset Data Links: Especially after trauma, divorce, or gender transition. Especially after trauma, divorce, or gender transition. Choose Citizenship Carefully: Some countries aggressively share biometric data. Some countries aggressively share biometric data. Work With Professionals: DIY privacy is no match for AI surveillance. Amicus helps clients develop individualized plans based on nationality, exposure risk, and mobility needs. The Future: Will Paperless Identity Be Mandatory? ICAO and IATA anticipate full deployment of digital-only travel identity by 2035. Some countries are moving faster, replacing passport booklets with QR codes and apps. Amicus believes that without strong opt-out systems, digital identity will become mandatory, irrevocable, and surveilled by default. Conclusion: Convenience or Control? You Decide Digital passports and biometric IDs are not inherently evil—but they are tools of power. Whether they become a gateway to freedom or a mechanism of control depends on who uses them, how they're regulated, and whether citizens retain the right to opt out, rebuild, or start over. Amicus International Consulting provides those options legally, ethically, and globally. In a world where identity is currency, Amicus ensures you don't lose control of yours. 📞 Contact InformationPhone: +1 (604) 200-5402Email: info@ Website:
Gulf Insider
15-04-2025
- Business
- Gulf Insider
ICAO Proposes Biometric ‘Journey Pass' to Replace Boarding Passes
The days of frantically searching for your boarding pass or running across an airport parking lot to make it in time for flight check-in may soon be a thing of the past. The UN body responsible for drafting airline policy – International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) – has proposed new guidelines to shake up existing rules for airports and airlines by introducing digital travel credentials or a 'journey pass'. The pass would allow passengers to store vital travel information on devices. According to a Times report, the changes could come into effect in three years. The changes would make boarding passes obsolete and the need to check in for flights. Instead, flyers will download a 'journey pass' to their phone when they book a flight. The pass will be automatically updated if any changes are made to the booking. Amadeus, Director of Product Management Valérie Viale, told the Times that the changes could be the biggest in the aviation industry in half a century. Her company has a system for processing passenger biometrics at each touchpoint and deleting all personal data within 15 seconds. According to Viale, the last major upgrade of the global aviation system was the introduction of e-ticketing in the 2000s. Digital credentials – how do they work? For at least the past few years, ICAO has been working on plans to digitise air transport, particularly through Digital Travel Credentials (DTCs). In December 2024, ICAO released a 'High-Level Guidance: Explaining the ICAO Digital Travel Credentials' document, indicating the concept and planning of DTCs. The concept has gained momentum, and pilot phases have been proposed recently. According to the report, the key feature of the ICAO DTC is that authorities can verify a digital representation of the passport data before the traveller's arrival and confirm the data's integrity and authenticity. ICAO said the DTC could enable Enhanced screening capabilities (travel authorisation processing and pre-arrival screening) via the collection of accurate and trusted information, including facial biometrics, in advance of travel; Support increasingly efficient border processes by expanding automated and biometrically-enabled processes and faster and more convenient experiences for travellers. Airports in the UAE, including Dubai International Airport (DXB) and Zayed International Airport in Abu Dhabi, have made significant strides in adopting digital boarding passes and getting rid of long check-in queues. Since 2023, Emirates airline requires most passengers departing from Dubai to use a mobile boarding pass instead of a printed paper version. Passengers checking in at Terminal 3 receive their mobile boarding pass via email or SMS. DXB also offers self check-in kiosks where passengers can check in, select seats, add their frequent flyer number, and obtain a mobile boarding pass sent to their email or via an SMS link. DXB has also implemented Smart Gates that allow UAE citizens, residents, GCC nationals, and visa-on-arrival visitors with biometric passports to pass through immigration quickly using their passport, boarding pass, or a valid UAE ID. Abu Dhabi Airports is also developing a 'Smart Travel' project with the ambitious goal of becoming the world's first fully document-free airport by 2025. Concerns and challenges That said, the proposal has also been met with some criticisms. According to media reports, one of the biggest challenges is that airports – especially the smaller ones – will have to invest significantly in upgrading their infrastructure to support the new system, including installing facial recognition cameras, mobile passport scanners, and real-time data synchronisation systems. This could be an expensive ordeal. There are also concerns about potential exclusion for travellers who may not have smartphones or are uncomfortable with facial recognition technology, according to an IDTechWire report. Commenting on security concerns, Amadeus told The Guardian that it had developed a system where passengers' details were wiped within 15 seconds of each contact with a 'touchpoint' – such as the pre-security gates. Also read: Dubai Property: After Burj Azizi, Soon-to-launch Trump Tower is Feeling the Buzz
