3M announces the official launch of a new travel document authentication system that helps tackle security challenges facing border control authorities and document issuing agencies as they fight fraudulent passports. In international testing, the 3M ePassport Reader has proven its industry-leading levels of performance and interoperability - the ability to read chips from the world's ePassports.

The easy-to-use 3M ePassport Reader scans and accesses data from radio frequency identification (RFID) chips embedded in biometric-enabled and other electronic travel documents. Border control authorities can focus their attention on travelers while readers automatically detect the presence of a document and read digital information contained in the RFID chip. In a single step, electronic document data may be checked for tampering while traditional optical features such as logos, crests, laminates, ultraviolet images and other graphical patterns on the page can be authenticated. The reader can scan and access data contained in the RFID chip, and it also can be used to write and lock data onto the chip during the document-issuance process.

"Border security is critical as each year more than 110 million new or renewed passports are issued around the world," said Rich Sanders, business manager, 3M Security Systems Division. "Passports not only permit entry into a country, they can allow the holder to open a bank account or get a driver's license, health card or a national identity card. The 3M ePassport Reader has gone through a rigorous and extensive Six Sigma launch process. Independent interoperability trials and comprehensive quality assurance testing have shown our system is flexible, reliable and robust. It offers a strong method to help identify fake identity documents."

Countries around the world have already begun installing the 3M ePassport Reader to read and authenticate the latest generation of international travel documents. Specific country installations are expected to be announced in the coming months. Currently, more than 100 countries are using this or other 3M technology and document security hardware for their tamper-proof passports.

3M brings more than 30 years of experience, a global presence, technical innovation and a strong customer focus to the secure document marketplace. Our solutions cover a broad spectrum of enhanced travel and border security, including document issuance and border management.

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3M Security Systems Division, St. PaulJoan Olseen, 651-736-1163www.3m.com/securityor3MConnie S. Thompson, 651-733-8914www.3M.com/profile/pressbox/media_contacts.jhtml