Page 72 - Automated Fingerprint Identification Systems (AFIS)

FINGERPRINTS ARE UNIQUE 57

many stories of individuals who obtained false driver’s licenses by bribing
officials or providing false documentation, combined with social engineering
(i.e., gaining trust by appearing to be a known or accepted person), which
resulted in the false driver’s license being issued. From these examples, it is
apparent that driver’s licenses cannot be counted on as an irrefutable form of
identification.

3.2.2 PASSPORT
A driver’s license provides one level of identification, at least if the photo
matches the face of its holder. But the name on the license may not be the
name of the individual holding the license. Do passports provide any better
identification?
A U.S. passport is considered to be a very secure document. To obtain a pass-
port, the applicant must have proof of U.S. citizenship in the form of a birth
certificate, a Consular Report of Birth Abroad, or Certification of Birth; a form
of identification; two photographs meeting the application specifications; and
3
money for the application fee. The applicant must present these items, in
person, to a U.S. Postal Service official or other official, such as a clerk of court,
public libraries, or other state, county, township, and municipal government
offices, who accepts passport applications on behalf of the U.S. State Depart-
ment at designated times and locations. This must be done in person to ensure
that the photographs can be compared by the official with the face of the appli-
cant and that the documents are consistent in terms of name and other iden-
tification items.
The Passport Services Office of the U.S. State Department will accept any of
the following for the required form of identification:

• Previous passport
• Naturalization Certificate
• Certificate of Citizenship
• Current and valid:
• Driver’s license
• Government ID: City, state, or federal
• Military ID: Military and dependents

These security checks are designed to ensure that the individual named on the
passport is actually the person holding the passport. This usually is the case,
but not always. A determined person can overcome several of these checks. For

3 See the information on passports provided by the U.S. Department of State, at http://
travel.state.gov/passport/index.html.