The New York Daily News recently ran an article by Chanize Thorpe regarding passport cards. This informative article offers all the goods on the new passport cards, including a list of pros and cons.
The cards would be valid for travel by land or sea to Mexico, the Caribbean, Canada and Bermuda, so if you travel frequently to these destinations, maybe a passport card would make sense. If you travel anywhere else, or by air, you would still need a traditional passport book.
Maybe the passport card is a good idea, but each card is embedded with a chip that can be read wirelessly up to 20 feet away. The chip contains an id number that is linked to photos and biographical information that is stored by the government in a “secure” database. Those interested can go to the US State Department’s Official Site to get info on passports and id cards.
Okaayyyy. So, this means that I could get a passport card and anyone with the capability could walk within 20 feet of me and scan me for all of my personal information? Hello, Jason Bourne. Where are you?
No offense, but this totally freaks me out. I think I will keep my traditional passport for the moment. To read the article in the NY Daily News, click here.