Sneak needed a new passport today and, naturally, had left it to the last minute. Queuing with the harassed execs and progeny-laden mums for a pre-arranged “appointment” with the Passport Service, Sneak was quite amazed at how far the agency went to explain that UK passports will henceforth contain biometric identity chips. Yes, that's right, nothing at all was said about the facial recognition system that will underpin the new “ePassports”.

A further complication resulted from Sneak’s naive assumption that getting a passport would not involve airline-style X-ray scans of coats and bags, and a metal-detection gate to step through. So the handcuffs probably should have stayed at home.

We should relish the relative privacy of these measures while we can. A California company called SafeView has developed a security scanner that uses millimetre radar to detect objects hidden under clothing.

Apparently the resulting images leave nothing to the imagination, so SafeView provides options to blur or blank out those things most people expect to stay hidden under clothing. Obviously such options are just a sop; clearly even private parts will be rendered in pin-sharp detail if the system is used in anger, or those up to no good will simply stash their contraband in their shorts.

People who mock privacy activists, saying the innocent shouldn’t worry if they have nothing to hide, may want to think again. Everyone has something to hide - barring those who are happy to stroll through the departure lounge with it all hanging out.

06 Mar 2006