UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office Chooses 3M to Deliver Biometric Passports

3M will equip 104 British Embassies, Consulates and HighCommissions around the world with new passport issuance systems thatcan identify biometric information. One in 10 British passports areissued outside of the UK and the new web-based 3M Identity DocumentIssuance System will ensure that these passports are as secure asthose issued in the UK by the UK Passport Office.

The development of the new secure passports follows standards setby the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) whichrecommends facial recognition as the primary biometric for traveldocuments.

British passports issued outside the UK beginning January 2006will include facial recognition and individual demographic data in amicrochip. Structural dimensions of facial features will be taken frompassport photographs and converted into unique digital data on thechip. The chip also will include the individual's demographic dataincluding name, age and birthplace.

"The FCO's pioneering work to ensure that multiple traveldocuments are not issued to the same person will be supported by 3Mdelivering a tailored technology solution. This is just the beginning.To complete the journey, all UK issued passports must becomebiometric," said David Cook, general manager, 3M Safety and SecurityDivision.

"Secure identity documentation is increasingly important giventoday's focus on improving border controls," said Paul Siezland,director of Consular Services, FCO. "3M has a detailed understandingof biometric technology and a track record in secure document issuancespanning 15 years, including an earlier project for the FCO to issuemachine readable passports throughout British Embassies, Consulatesand High Commissions."

For more than 30 years, 3M has provided premier security productsthat track, identify, authenticate and secure. Drawing on its broadtechnology base and expertise, 3M creates solutions for a wide arrayof security needs, such as issuance and authentication of traveldocuments and personal identification cards; brand and assetprotection solutions to fight tampering and counterfeiting; and fileand library security, tracking and workflow management solutions.

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