Gemalto‘s ePassport technologies are now being used in more than 30 countries, the company has announced. While Gemalto’s most recent ePassport project was announced for East Timor in June, in a statement announcing the breadth of the ePassport solutions’ reach, Gemalto Government Business Unit ID Document Solutions SVP Youzec Kurp highlighted “landmark projects in Algeria, Denmark, Finland, France, Hong Kong, Italy, Korea, Morocco, Peru, Portugal, Norway, Singapore, Sweden and the USA.”
The company proclaimed its milestone along with predictions for key trends in the industry. One that’s likely to raise eyebrows is the rapid development of digital ID credentials, allowing travelers to sync their ePassports to virtual passports on their smartphones — an idea that’s already taking shape with the emergence of smartphone-based virtual driver licenses.
Another notable trend prediction is that smart border systems and airports will “emerge at a faster pace,” according to the company. This prediction comes with perhaps even more solid backing as the Department of Homeland Security and the Customs and Border Protection agency quickly move to extend their facial recognition border screening system to more airports across the US; at the same time, government and airport authorities elsewhere in the world are also moving to implement biometric passenger screening to improve both security and the traveler experience.
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September 8, 2017 – by Alex Perala
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