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DHS tests RFID at ports

The Dept. of Homeland Security is moving forward with the next phase of testing of its US-VISIT program, a battery of security measures to collect biometric and biographic information from visitors crossing US border ports.
Written by ZDNet UK, Contributor

The Dept. of Homeland Security is moving forward with the next phase of testing of its US-VISIT program, a battery of security measures to collect biometric and biographic information from visitors crossing US border ports. Over the next year, DHS will conduct tests at ports in Washington, Arizona and New York to check the ability of reader equipment to read RFID tags embedded in Customs form I-94A, the standard arrival and departure record. While the tags contain only unique serial numbers, government officials can link the ID numbers to individuals' biometric and biographic data. The equipment reads the tag in the form and transmits a record of arrival or departure to a US-VISIT database.

"RFID technology can potentially enhance US-VISIT's capacity to match visitors' entries to exits without increasing processing time at land borders or affecting the speed at which a visitor leaves the United States. The RFID technology testing is largely transparent to visitors, requiring no additional stops by vehicles or pedestrians entering or exiting the five ports," claims the DHS press release.


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