Australia proposes passport-free travel system

Australian officials have shaken up the world of secure travel documents by proposing an international travel system that could do away with the traditional passport, and instead just see travellers' identities stored in a cloud database.Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop revealed the proposal at a diplomacy-focused hackathon that occurred in the office of the Department of Foreign Affairs in Canberra, also stating that the country is in talks with neighbouring New Zealand on piloting the system."Australia prides itself on having one of the most secure passports in the world, but by embracing and harnessing new technologies, we might be able to do better," said Bishop. "We're in discussions with New Zealand and if we're able to put in place the appropriate requirements, including security, then it's something we'd like to trial and implement."It is likely that any cloud passport would involve government servers which can be accessed through electronic means by border agencies.Given the increasing use of biometrics at borders, including through automated kiosks, there is also the potential for modalities such as fingerprint, iris or facial recognition to identify travellers.Bishop admitted there were security hurdles to cross before the idea could be implemented, especially related to storing citizens' biometric data in the cloud. The Internal Affairs Department, which handles passports, says it's discussed the idea "at a conceptual level" with Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.Bishop acknowledged there were security requirements which would have to be met in order to store biometrics in the cloud, but told Fairfax Media: "We think it will go global". The storage of biometric data has proved controversial in Australia: Earlier this month, there was a media outcry when a senior Australian official said that authorities could use still images from social media in a new facial biometrics system.The government plans to spend $18.5 million (US$13m) on a system called the Capability – short for The National Facial Biometric Matching Capability – which is due to be operational from mid next year.The national facial recognition system will provide a hub mechanism for agencies to launch queries against facial images recorded on passports, visas and driver's licences, with officials saying it will help tackle organised crime. It will operate on a "hub and spoke" system rather than a single database.

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