While our country continues its war on terrorism and its strangle-hold on border security, one Canadian dude dared to defy the rules by using his iPad as a substitute for his passport. While that may sound like a recipe for disaster, this was accepted and he was let into the United States.
This guy made the cardinal mistake of leaving his passport home (which was two hours away), but thanks to some resourceful thinking he remembered he had a scan of his passport on his iPad. After a few minutes of deliberation, the border officer, gave him permission to enter the United States.Now, if you’re a security nut this news is probably a little worrisome for you but if you’re a tech enthusiast, this is awesome!
Okay lets analyze this for a second, as the man was able to go through because the bar code on his passport was scanned off of his iPad. This same approach can be duplicated on other devices, but reality is, such a convenience won’t be used until the right “security measures” have been implemented. Just like any other government ID, a digital copy can be easily Photoshopped.
That said, I believe a digital option should be offered, so you can use your smartphone/tablet for your passport or ID. With companies like Google and ISIS already trying to move your wallet to your phone, why not start the transition of moving your government ID’s to your phone as well. It just makes sense, everything is headed that way anyway. So why prolong it?
[via Technabob]