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ACTE PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
Business Travel Execs Slam RFID Passport Proposal
Alexandria, Va ( Apr. 6) - Business travel managers, procurement
specialists, and travel service suppliers slammed a proposal by the State
Department to embed radio frequency identification tags (RFID) in passports.
According to the most recent survey conducted by the Association of
Corporate Travel Executives (ACTE), ninety-three percent of survey
respondents are opposed to the security devices, which many feel may place
Americans at risk.
"This overwhelming majority clearly indicates a lack of confidence in the
current proposal," said ACTE President Greeley Koch. "This survey also tells
us that the business travel community no longer has a blind trust in fully
electronic security measures, as sixty-eight percent of the respondents
indicated the government relies too heavily on these means."
The purpose of the RFID tags is to provide an additional level of passport
security by making it more difficult to forge travel documents, while
creating a more foolproof method of identifying individuals. Concerns that
the embedded chips will either identify U.S. citizens to terrorists or
criminals, or broadcast other information to relatively unsophisticated (and
unauthorized) receivers, has dogged the RFID proposal since its inception.
Travel managers are not buying the notion that it will speed up time spent
at the borders either. Sixty percent of survey's respondents said neither
the lines nor the wait times at the country's borders were too long.
There is also concern that the government is rushing headlong into the RFID
deployment. Nearly half of the respondents (48 percent) had only recently
heard of the RFID proposal. "This tells us that a stronger effort must be
made to educate the industry on this issue," said Koch. "To this end, our
Traveler Security Task Force has completed an industry analysis on RFIDs,
which will be made available to our members on April 5, 2005.
Ninety-five percent of survey respondents directed ACTE to file commentary
with the state department on their behalf. "ACTE's commentary to the State
Department will reflect the opinions of our members, restate their
objections, and spell out their concerns," said Koch. "As with CAPPSII, ACTE
will deliver the message, loud and clear. That is the role of a responsive
organization."
The Association of Corporate Travel Executives was founded in 1988 as the
education and research resource for the global business travel management
profession. ACTE is best known for its initiatives, studies, and surveys.
The association currently represents the business travel interests of 2,500
members in 37 countries.
Critical Facts About RFID Tags In Passports...And How They May Affect You Or Your Travelers
Jack Riepe
ACTE Global Communications Director
t: 610-719-8396
c: 610-256-0124
e: [email protected]
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ACTE US and Canada
515 King St, Suite 340
Alexandria, VA 22314
Tel: 1-703-683-5322
Fax: 1-703-683-2720
[email protected]
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