iPassport

I was amused when I read this article as I was browsing cnet.com the other day. It was about a Canadian man named Martin Reisch who was traveling to the United States, crossing the border near Quebec at that.

This man forgot his passport, HIS PASSPORT of all things!

But good thing he didn’t forget his iPad!

He had a scanned copy of his passport on file and he presented his iPad to the border control officer. Said officer took the iPad and after five or so minutes, returned to Reisch, even wishing him a ‘Merry Christmas’, allowing him to enter the United States of America.

Apparently, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection hasn't commented on this yet.

***

The idea of an electronic passport - iPad style, though probably not yet in the works in our country, is not an impossible one.

I imagine that a lot of issues will arise out of this proposition, security and authentication-wise.

But then again, maybe one day in the near future, people will just be needing their iPads to travel: presenting them in front of immigration officers (for their e-passports);

ticketing officers (for their e-tickets);

and baggage claim counters (for their e-baggage stubs).

And maybe the person picking them up will be waving an iPad as well, as their e-name card.

Agnes M. Santiago, Entry #3