The problem with passports

The first in a surprisingly interesting three-part series about the modern travel document

Until 1970, you could just ask the Canadian government for a passport and they’d trust you. This made ours the passport of choice for criminals and spies worldwide. But lots has changed since then.

What began as a hall pass from the Governor General asking politely for countries to let Canadians visit has become an instrument of national security. Modern technology is powerful: the phone in our pocket includes biometrics, fingerprinting, a depth-sensing camera, GPS, passkeys, an on-chip vault, PKI, and any number of other security features to prove who we are.

The passport is long overdue for an update. Canada’s rolling out online renewals in 2025—eight years after the UK launched their online renewals. Meanwhile, we’re still relying on a couple of photos signed by people who’ve known you.

Passports are a perfect window into how governments are modernizing digital services. They’re time-sensitive, contain personal information, have serious security requirements, and touch almost every Canadian. So today we’re kicking off the first of three episodes that dive deep into the history and modernization of passports.

This episode took a lot of work. It’s pretty short, hopefully entertaining, and a big departure from the usual back-and-forth conversations. We’d love to know what you think.