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Having now established itself as the world’s number one show in this sector, SDW 2010 will focus on the concept of next-generation citizen and government ID solutions
The digitalisation of secure documents has been an overarching trend since the turn of the century. Billions of dollars have been spent in this global endeavour. But, as yet, the full potential of these documents has not yet been realised. Security Document World 2010 (SDW 2010) is a leading conference and exhibition taking place on 8-10 February 2010 in London. It looks at advanced security documents, border control and the latest in document anti-counterfeiting. A key question the show will answer is how documents can now be leveraged to enable a host of cutting-edge applications, as well as how new security features continue to be important in the never-ending quest to counter the counterfeiters.
The last decade has seen a revolution in the use of security documents, such as passports and ID cards. No longer can the security document industry solely be thought of in a purely traditional sense, with security coming from embedded physical features, such as watermarks, holograms and micro texts. The digitalisation of secure documents has been the trend of the century, with smart cards usurping a variety of traditional documents and smart card chips being embedded into others, such as the ePassport.
Border control
Despite the billions of dollars spent across the world on developing new secure documents, there has been a relative lack, to date, on exploiting their full potential. ePassports are a prime example. Today, there are well in excess of 65 countries issuing electronic passports. However, the enhanced use of these documents at border control posts is still in its infancy, especially for live biometric checks and/or automated border control.
According to industry association, Eurosmart, border controls are in place in the European Union with the following targets: - Reduction of illegal immigration at border control entry;
- Facilitation of crossing EU borders for bona fide travellers;
- Fight against terrorism and organised crime;
- Better understanding and management of migration flows;
- Identification of overstayers and wanted persons.
Today, there are various means by which to check identities at the border, ranging from a purely manual process to checking with the support of computers, optical readers and checks against blacklists and infrastructure for reading electronic passports.
There is also the opportunity for completely automated gates. As States move to second generation biometric passports, including fingerprints, so border control posts will be able to consider live fingerprint matching against an image stored in the passport chip, involving a process called electronic passport authentication (EAC).
The effective use of EAC requires states to exchange their EAC certificates cross border, and this is a complex issue still under development – although a technical specification to facilitate certificate exchange has been ratified by the European Commission. ICAO’s public key directory (PKD) initiative is also a hot topic in this area and both are key areas of focus at SDW 2010 (see box).
eGates
According to industry sources, seven EU Member States (Portugal, Spain, Netherlands, France, UK, Germany and Finland) already have automatic eGate programs at airports running or in progress, with Poland having the first registered traveller program running at a land port. Many other Member States are expected to follow.
Further afield, eGate programs are believed to be running in 20 countries, although only a small percentage combine eGate equipment with ePassport documents. This demonstrates the huge potential for such convergence in the future, and is a major issue under discussion at Security Document World 2010.
eIDs
Away from ePassports and border control, other eIDs, such as driving licences, healthcare cards, resident permits etc are starting to roll out in earnest. At Security Document World 2010 we are running sessions that look forward to what might be possible in the future.
If identity can indeed be assured then it is possible to imagine a world of opportunity, where secure online transactions may be performed by citizens in the comfort of their own homes. The benefits of such a world are clear to see, and include substantial per-transaction cost savings for service providers (governments) and greater flexibility and convenience for the end user (citizens).
The Security Document World 2010 show takes place at the QEII Conference Centre on 8-10 February 2010. Visiting the exhibition with more than 65 companies is free. Three-day conference delegate places for government attendees are just £299+VAT.
ICAO at SDW 2010 – ePassport in Focus: PKD Seminar
SDW 2010 is happy to announce that the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) is organising a seminar on its important PKD initiative at our show.
An essential element in the introduction of ePassports is the implementation of a global system for their validation, achieved through the exchange of Public Key Infrastructure certificates. ICAO’s Public Key Directory (ICAO PKD) acts as a central, universal broker to manage the exchange of certificates and certificate revocation lists. This critical role ensures optimum efficiency by eliminating the need for complex and time-consuming bi-lateral exchange agreements between countries on a case by case basis.
The in-depth session will look at the current operational status of ICAO PKD, explain why more countries should be signing up and address key outstanding issues and questions surrounding its implementation by States across the world.”
SDW 2010 conference sessions
- Four keynote presenters
- Crystal Ball Seminar – The Future for e-Security Documents
- ePassports, eVisas and eIDs: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
- Countering the Counterfeiter…
- ePassports in Focus: PKD Seminar – organised by ICAO
- The Nuts and Bolts of Advanced Border Control
- Advances in Document Anti-Counterfeiting Techniques
- Beyond ePassports and National eIDs
- Intelligent Border Control and Beyond
Plus the SDW Open Forum – Bringing eIDs to life…e-enabled citizen-centric services. This session is open to all attendees at SDW 2010 – delegates, exhibitors and exhibition visitors and takes place on 10 February.
For more information
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