According to Wired, the US is due to finally start issuing passports with readable tags embedded in them this week. The passports, which have been talked about for some time, will contain a chip that holds a digital version of the personal information on the printed passport.

While there have been some concerns about non-government scanners searching for Americans with tagged passports in their pockets, this and other paranoias have been brushed aside by US officials and several producers of the technology are online to produce them little blue books as soon as they get the green light.