Reporter's Notebook: Testing of biometric passports and e-passport readers is complete, and the United States plans to implement the readers for processing Visa Waiver Program (VWP) visitors by the end of October.

E-Passports contain an individual's biographic information and a digital photograph on a contactless chip embedded in the document. The Department of Homeland Security hopes biometric technologies will prevent the use of fraudulent or stolen international travel documents.

Travelers applying for admission under the VWP are allowed to enter the United States for up to 90 days for business or pleasure without obtaining a non-immigrant visa. Those VWP travelers that are issued a passport after Oct. 26 must present an e-passport to enter the country.

The State Department plans to begin issuing e-passports to U.S. citizens this summer.

Originally scheduled for implementation two years ago, critics have complained about the lack of documentation issued by the government. In particular, the security industry has questioned just how secure the information contained on the contactless chips really is.

DHS Deputy Secretary Michael Jackson says not to worry.

"We are adopting biometric, electronically-based and secure travel documents that are tamper-resistant, yet provide a very convenient way to move back and forth across our borders," Jackson said in a statement this week.

He added that the DHS recently completed testing e-passports and readers with Basic Access Control (BAC) at San Francisco International Airport.

According to Jackson, BAC "enhances" the document security by preventing the unauthorized reading -- known as "skimming" -- of information contained on the e-passport.

"We have now successfully completed e-passport technology testing in a live environment. Working with Visa Waiver countries, we will begin to deploy these important security enhancements this year," Jackson said.

Your Tax Dollars at Work. Speaking of homeland security, the Government Accountability Office issued a report last month stating that the DHS and other government agencies still have no real plan or system in place to share sensitive, but unclassified, terrorist-related information.

"More than four years after September 11, the nation lacks government-wide policies and processes to help agencies integrate the myriad ongoing efforts ... to improve the sharing of terrorism-related information that is critical to protecting our homeland," the report states.

The Homeland Security Act of 2002 and the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 both call for improved information sharing between agencies.

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