Testing of samples of the proposed e-passports is going on to ensure that they are secure, Union Minister for External Affairs S Jaishankar said while replying to questions of the members’ in the House
The government has said that e-passports would be launched only after ensuring efficacy of its data security features. Testing of samples of the proposed e-passports is going on to ensure that they are secure, Union Minister for External Affairs S Jaishankar said while replying to questions of the members’ in the House.
“We are cognisant to the danger of the skimming vulnerability. In fact, it is one of the reasons why the sample passports are being tested to ensure (they are safe). Until we are sure that skimming danger is adequately addressed, naturally we will not be going forward. But, we have every confidence,” the Minister said during Question Hour in Parliament.
The Minister was replying to Congress member Shashi Tharoor who had asked what measures were being taken by the Government before the launch of the e-passports to ensure safety of the passport holders’ data. Tharoor had said that the safety of the data of the holders of e-passports, which will come with radio frequency identification (RFID) tag could be compromised. Tharoor pointed out that several global studies had indicated that anybody could skim and copy data from the RFID tags.
“The purpose of issuing e-passports is to make the passport holders’ travel “easier and smoother”, and also ensure “better security” of their data. The e-passport has both the data and a sheet like a regular passport. In terms of data security, the data is put into the chip through a personalisation process.”
— Minister for External Affairs S Jaishankar
“The average citizen will find the passport data more integral and more protected than it would be in other circumstances,” Minister Jaishankar said while replying to a related question asked by another Congress member, M K Raghavan.
Jaishankar said that the purpose of issuing e-passports was to make the passport holders’ travel “easier and smoother”, and also ensure “better security” of their data. “The e-passport has both the data and a sheet like a regular passport. In terms of data security, the data is put into the chip through a personalisation process,” he said. E-passports will have “multiple layers” of security. It will have digital signature “which will be sent to other governments for verification”.
DMK member Dayanidhi Maran, while asking a supplementary question, said that the government claims that immigration would become smooth after the launch of e-passport, but the “irony is that wherever Indian passport holders go, they are treated like third-class citizens, especially in our own country”.
The DMK leader said that special counters for immigration had been set up for citizens in many of the countries like the UAE and Malaysia, but “In India, we are made to wait and stand in a queue, look like criminals”.
Reacting to Maran’s remarks, the Minister said, “I think the member’s characterisation of the situation at the airports is quite unfair. I do more airport travelling probably than any other member of the House…I am not blind. I also look at what is happening in other counters. I think all members should be fair enough to recognize that airport processes have improved. There are many more counters today. There is room for improvement at airport and BOI (Bureau of Immigration) counters…but please do not sort of give it such a sweepingly negatively characterisation. That is not fair… I resent that. I think that is completely uncalled for,” the Minister added.
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