"Bahrain Takes Swipe Into The Future With New Smart ID Cards"

[Dave Farber <dave () farber net>]

> Date: Wed, 27 Aug 2003 15:15:48 +0100
> From: "mo () mo md" <mo () mo md>
> Subject: "Bahrain Takes Swipe Into The Future With New Smart ID Cards"
> To: "dave () farber net" <dave () farber net>
>
>
> Dear Dave,
> for IP if you wish. Last year Bahrain, my country, had its first
> democratic elections in 30 years. It's interesting but a little scary
> that the government is considering having these smart cards ready for
> use for the next set of elections.
>
> mohammad
>
> Dr Mohammad Al-Ubaydli
> e mo () mo md
> w www.mo.md
>
> <http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=1390
> 0098>
>
> Residents of the Gulf kingdom will be able to use the cards for
> business and politics, including voting in municipal and
> parliamentary elections.
> By The Associated Press
>
> MANAMA, Bahrain (AP) -- The Gulf kingdom of Bahrain is planning a
> giant swipe into the future with a new smart ID card that citizens
> can use for business and politics.
>
> The tender for the project was launched Tuesday. Bahraini officials
> envision a photo ID card with a 64-kilobyte microchip holding the
> card holder's name, address, national identification number, digital
> fingerprints and driver's license, passport, medical, financial and
> educational data.
>
> Users will be able to pay bills, withdraw cash, transfer money check
> their bank balances and conduct Internet transactions with a swipe of
> the card, and use the same card to votes in municipal and
> parliamentary elections.
>
> "We truly believe that this is going to improve and change things
> dramatically," Sheik Ahmed bin Ateyatella Al Khalifa, undersecretary
> of the Central Informatic Organization, told reporters Tuesday.
>
> The cards will become available early next year and officials hope
> most of the kingdom's approximately 600,000 people will have one by
> 2005, when the next municipal elections are planned. The next
> parliamentary elections are in 2006.
>
> Most Bahrainis used ID cards with bar-code like stripes to cast their
> votes in parliamentary elections last October. The new cards will
> carry more data than those cards.
>
> "We believe that we have a good infrastructure to leap forward," said
> Sheik Ahmed, adding that the kingdom is adopting the technology after
> "looking and learning from the experience of countries in Europe and
> the Far East."

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