Press Release

For Immediate Release
28 March 2005

ACTE Says Passport "Bugs" Could Put U.S. Travelers At Risk

Alexandria, VA -- The Association of Corporate Travel Executives is opposed to a proposed federal program that would implant electronic identification "bugs" in U.S. passports. More of a computer chip than an actual transmitter, the device may be capable of identifying the presence of U.S. citizens in crowds, in hotel lobbies, on trains, or even on the street to those in possession of a fairly unsophisticated receiver. The signal can be detected up to dozens of feet to tens of yards. It may also be capable of transmitting personal data, such as your name, passport number, and photograph.

"The thought that your travel documents could be broadcasting your nationality to those with an interest in harming U.S. citizens is bad enough," said ACTE President Greeley Koch. "But it could also be pinpointing likely targets for pickpockets, thieves, and even providing information to steal."

The technology behind the Radio-Frequency Identification tags (RFID) was initially developed to track inventory in department stores and warehouses. It has been claimed that the efficiency with which these devices speed palletized loads will greatly improve traffic and record-keeping at the nation's borders. ACTE leadership does not believe that a marginal level of efficiency over current methods is worth putting U.S. citizens at risk.

"There is no doubt that RFID technology can be shielded or coded in some way," said Greeley Koch. "But it is once again developing a false reliance on technology. A mass-produced, cheap, electronic identification system that is bound to be lost or stolen in large quantities is bound to be defeated."

Koch also expressed concern that this was the third travel identification system under development in the United States. "We have the mechanism for the Registered Traveler program still in its infancy. The Secure Flight program is hinging on a Government Accountability Report that the TSA has met the appropriate privacy safeguards. And now there is this RFID passport proposal. None of these systems talk to each other. No one knows what data bases they access. And all are being developed independently. This cannot be the best approach to creating a national travel security program."

ACTE began polling its members today to determine an industrywide perspective on the subject. The issue has been put before the association's Traveler Security Task Force for further evaluation. In a separate advisory, ACTE's president is urging members to send their comments to U.S. State Department before the period of public commentary expires, on April 4, 2005.

For more information, contact:
Debbie Flynn
CEO
Brighter Group
The Pod, London's Vertical Gateway
Bridges Wharf, Battersea
London SW11 3BE England
T: 020 7326 9880
F: 020 7326 9890
E: [email protected]
W: www.brightergroup.com