US computer giant HP lands ‘smart ID card’ contract
After 10 years of deliberations, Israel's Ministry of Interior has decided to award the US computer giant, Hewlett-Packard, with the nation’s "smart ID card" contract. The new ID cards are intended to allow Israeli citizens to execute a range of online activities pertaining to government bureaus, including signing forms using a digital signature. HP had won the $67 million dollar contract once before, but news of the project generated fierce public objection for fear that the cards would be an intrusion of privacy and a waste of taxpayer dollars. This time the program requires that the Knesset first pass a bill authorizing the identification cards, travel papers and biometrics database. The Interior Ministry argues that the bill is crucial for public safety because it utilizes fingerprints and digital photographs on documents such as smart cards and passports, making them harder to forge. Interior Minister Meir Sheetrit recently estimated that there are approximately 350,000 forged ID cards in Israel, calling the situation "outrageous."