Context

The government is using technology to usher in transparency. It is now planning to roll out e-passports soon.

About

What is e-passport?

• According to the proposal, the e-passport will be a combination of paper and electronic passport, with a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) chip.
• An antenna will be embedded as an inlay in the back cover.
• The passport’s critical information will be stored in the chip and printed on the data page.
• The characteristics of the e-passport are specified by the International Civil Aviation Organization, an agency of the United Nations.

Privacy and Security:

• The government clarified that data of the citizens obtained for e-passport will be used only for the purposes of issuance of the passport and related services.
• There will not be any secondary use of the data, thereby safeguarding privacy concerns.
• Further transaction processes are authenticated by digital certificates and are cryptographically signed.
• Once captured, the data is stored in a secured industry-standard database.
• The Security Operations Centre will perform relevant database security-related controls round the clock.

Implementation and technical responsibilities:

• Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has reportedly bagged the contract for delivering e-passports. 
• While the government will source the hardware chips, TCS will be responsible for their encoding.
• The government has entrusted National Informatics Centre (NIC) with the technical responsibilities.
• The e-passports will be produced by the India Security Press in Maharashtra’s Nashik, which has issued letters of intent for the procurement of 4.5 crore ICAO-compliant electronic chips.
• Interestingly, the government issued India’s first e-passport with biometric details to former President Pratibha Patil in 2008.
• E-passports enhance the security of passports, eliminate duplication, eliminate data tampering and will be used by border control authorities for monitoring the entry and exit of passengers.