In today’s fast-paced digital world, document authentication is undergoing a significant transformation. Traditional manual verification scenarios, for example at border controls, are complemented by automated processes and self- service kiosks.

A brief review of the launch of Pakistan’s ePassport in August’s edition of ID & Secure Document News™ is followed up here with a more detailed examination of the new document.

Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Public Security has called for international competitive bidding for the procurement of five million ePassports in keeping with the government’s initiative to introduce electronic chip-embedded digital passports to citizens.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA), in partnership with SICPA and other industry partners, has created an improved travel experience using digital identity, streamlining the process from booking a flight to border crossing at arrival.

In June of this year, the European Council provisionally agreed on rules to digitise the Schengen visa procedure (see sister publication Holography News™, October 2023). The council has now approved the digitisation of the visa process, signalling a further move away from physical visa stickers.

The debate over how personally identifiable information (PII) is collected, used and stored digitally was brought into sharp focus during the worldwide response to COVID-19, with the widespread adoption of contact tracking and tracing.

Two of the most populous countries in South America have announced plans for harnessing blockchain based digital identity protocols to streamline and secure citizen access to public services.

In his article ‘Emerging Fingerprint Technologies for Smartphones’ (see IDN January 2023), technology consultant Dr Alan Hodgson predicted that in response to the need for better fingerprint recognition on devices, technology suppliers would be looking to increase the size of their biometric sensors. And he was right!

The ID and secure document industry goes to great lengths to keep secure the personally identifiable information (PII) that we gather, as we are keenly aware of the injurious consequences of ID data breeches.

The secure Hologram Image Register (HIR), established by the International Hologram Manufacturers Association (IHMA) to help safeguard hologram copyright and underpin the use of holograms in authentication and security printing, has been extended and relaunched as the Security Image Register (SIR).

As ID & Secure Document News™ celebrates its 10th year in print, I took a moment to delve into the archive and re-read the newsletter’s first editorial in September 2013. This gave, as the newsletter’s raison d’être, the increased societal and commercial interest in secure identity, principally driven by ‘terrorism, technology, illegal immigration and global criminality’.

Reconnaissance International is pleased to announce the release of its new publication – ‘Smartphones for Authentication’ – the only publication of its kind.

The programme has now been published for The Holography Conference Online (THCO) 2023, taking place 21-22 November.

So far this year, I have interviewed two of Veridos’ senior management team for ID & Secure Document News™ – CEO, Marc-Julian Siewert and CFO, Dr Christian Thywissen. Both executives stressed the identity solutions company’s goal to be completely CO2 – neutral by 2040.

The Nordic and Baltic Ministers of Digitalisation have announced an effort to ensure that member countries’ residents will be able to use their digital IDs across borders.

The increasing demand for business and leisure travel emerging from the pandemic has changed air travel practices in the last few years and promised passengers a quick, secure and seamless experience.

Scytl, a leader in online voting and electoral modernisation, has won a contract to facilitate online voting in the national elections to the Federal National Council of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Greece's new identity card is being issued from 25 September. The Ministry for Public Protection has published a statement outlining that under EU Regulation 2019/1157, member states need to issue new identity cards with upgraded security features.

IDEMIA, the identity technologies and biometric solutions provider, has been selected by the airport operator, GMR Group, to implement Digi Yatra’s facial recognition technology-powered boarding system at India’s Delhi, Hyderabad, and Goa airports.

Since winning the contract to manufacture the entire Australian passport in 2002, the R-Series is now the fifth series that Note Printing Australia (NPA) has developed for the Australian Passports Office..