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Foolproof software to cut passport fraud

Mustak Hossain
A team of students and teachers of computer science at North South University (NSU) has developed new software and integrated hardware to locally produce foolproof machine-readable passports (MRPs).
The MRPs will help combat the rising passport forgery and save foreign currency now spent on import of about 10 lakh passports a year, team sources said.
The programme combines fingerprint and digital picture in passports. Fingerprint remains as a unique feature because it cannot be duplicated by any means, said Dr Abdul Awal, a faculty member of computer science, who supervised the project.
The team members are three students Karim Khan, Sabit Anjum Sayeed and Sadrul Habib Chowdhury and faculty member Dr Rokonuzzaman.
Under the new system, no-one will be able to have more than one passport even if one uses a different name, parents' name, date of birth and address, as the central database, which will have a register of fingerprints, will detect the person, Awal told The Daily Star.
Wahedul Haq, director general of the Directorate of Passport and Immigration, said they have examined the new software. "It is a tremendous effort and so far we have found it foolproof and applicable," he added.
Awal said there can be a central database connected with all passport offices and whenever a request for a passport is processed, the requested data will tally with available records and notify accordingly. In the process, passport officials will record fingerprint of thumb and take a digital picture of the passport seeker.
"All we need is a computer, a fingerprint detector and a digital camera along with the software," he said.
"We need not go for international bidding to prepare MRPs, as we will be able to prepare them locally at a reasonably low cost," Awal added.
Developed countries that have already introduced MRPs do not have the unique feature of fingerprint in them. So, there are chances to forge them by changing picture and data, which are usually embedded in barcodes.
Awal said the new passports will have picture printed digitally and there will be no scope to change it.
Dishonest people, including manpower agents, now change pictures for going abroad, especially to America, Britain and other European countries, which maintain tough rules for visa.
Airports and land immigration posts will require fingerprint detectors so that track could be maintained during departure and arrival from abroad.
The new system can be further developed through implementation of a project aimed to register all citizens in a national database, Awal said.