The trial would see information from Aussie passports stored in the cloud, alongside biometric identifiers, giving citizens the opportunity for document free travel between the two countries.
Issued since 2005, Australian ePassports contain a chip that stores passport data and a citizen’s photograph, allowing passage through automated border checks such as Australia’s SmartGate system. The SmartGate matches a live photograph, taken at the airport, with digital passport data from the chip to ensure the traveller is who they say they are.
It looks like automation is about to go one step further by turning the passport chip into a digital one. A cloud passport would remove the need for a physical documentation.
