It’s hard to imagine a world without passports. It’s one of the most guarded things we own.
But passports could soon become a thing of the past, paving the way for ‘paperless documents’ instead.
De La Rue, a British company and currently the world’s largest passport producer, is working on technology that could securely store passport details on smartphones, so that you can have it with you all the time.
A spokesperson for De La Rue said the concept is very much in the ‘early stages of development’ but if enforced, the digital passports would work just like the boarding passes we currently use.
It is still unclear how an individual’s personal details, currently stored on a passport’s electronic chip, would be kept secure on a mobile phone.
According to David Jevans, from security company Proofpoint, digital passports on your phone will require new hardware on the device in order to securely store the electronic passport so it can’t be copied.
Speaking to The Telegraph Mr Jevans said: ‘It will also have to be communicated wirelessly to passport readers, because doing it onscreen like an airline ticket QR code can be copied or spoofed.’
Some airports have already tested mobile-based clearance systems, such as Miami and Atlanta, where travellers can use a phone to enter customs information, though it is not clear how successful it was.
