The problem with passports
The first in a surprisingly interesting three-part series about the modern travel document
Until 1970, you could just ask the Canadian government for a passport and they’d trust you — which made ours the passport of choice for criminals and spies worldwide. On the Functional Government Podcast, I kick off a three-part series about how the humble passport became an instrument of national security.
Modern phones have biometrics, fingerprinting, depth-sensing cameras, GPS, passkeys, and on-chip vaults. Yet we’re still relying on a couple of photos signed by someone who’s known you for two years. Canada is rolling out online renewals in 2025 — eight years after the UK. This episode asks: why is the passport so overdue for an update?
Read the full writeup and show notes on The Functional Government Podcast.
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