New technology makes spy 'secret'

The deployment of iris scanners and electronic passports at airports, hotels, business offices . in the world is causing difficulties for US agents as well as many other countries.

New technology designed to capture terrorists, criminals, but also hinders the campaigns of the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the Israeli intelligence agency (Mossad) . requires the agents to go again under the name of another person, the name does not exist.

At locations with spies and spies like Dubai, Jordan, India, some European Union countries (EU), iris scanners are installed to determine the permanent relationship between the eyeballs of a person with a specific name.

Similarly, more and more countries replace paper passports with biometric passports. This type of passport is fitted with a micro electronic chip containing data on the face of the person named in the passport, gender, date of birth, place of birth and other personal information.

Iris scanner of Senex Technologies. (Source: Fabian Bimmer)

For spies who have to work abroad, the popularity of increasingly modern identity verification technology is the enemy.'If you go to a country with a fake name, you can't come back to that country with another name. Biometric data in your passport and maybe even your eyeball data has been permanently attached to the name in your first passport. You can't reappear with a different name and have the same data , 'said an American intelligence agent.

The issue is too sensitive for agents and intelligence officials, including the present and the past, Charles Faddis, a retired CIA officer, said.

If the CIA coordinates well with the local intelligence agency, as is often done in EU, Jorrdan, Thailand ., the entry and exit of spies will be easier. However, with 'unilateral' agents (foreign intelligence units trying not to let the host country's intelligence agencies know), the new technology is a significant barrier, a former spy said.

According to intelligence sources, after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, CIA officials began to refocus on recruiting spies in foreign agencies with border control duties. These spies have the right to access electronic data to change, add or delete documents.

Many countries are increasingly installing biometric scanners in seaports and airports. For example, Eyelock Corp (USA) installed scanners at a number of ports in the US, Mexico, Singapore and Columbia and is testing in Brazil, Chile, France, Spain, England and the Middle East.

The United Arab Emirates Interior Ministry announced that the iris scanners helped capture 54,000 criminals and discovered 1,088 fake passports in 2008.