Due to passports containing biometric information, the price of renewing one’s passport is set to rise significantly, according to a Tech Radar article. New implementations will see fingerprint data added to contactless smart card chips installed in passports which will see a rise in UK passport renewals of 28 pounds.
Other financial woes put on UK citizens is the new biometric ID card system. Costs are being reported as nearly double their original quoted cost. Home Secretary Jacqui Smith estimates that by 2012 7 million UK citizens will be applying for one of the two biometric IDs with each ID requiring the applicant provide a photo and fingerprint and facial recognition samples.
Starting in 2009, the general public will be able to sign-up for the ID card system. Despite the rise in costs, Smith still feels that it is necessary for the UK to move ahead with the system and away from using bills and increasingly complex passwords to prove one’s identity.
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