...confirmed. It said the chip was necessary to meet minimum international standards set by the International Civil AviationOrganisation. The identity cards will be read by placing the chip on a reader after being unlocked using special characters...
http://www.computerweekly.com/Articles/2006/05/16/215966/news-in-brief.htm
...projected to become the standard in many organisations for secure identity management. The International Civil AviationOrganisation (ICAO) 9303 mandate and European Commission (EC) 2252 passport regulation will likely push the deployment...
http://www.securitypark.co.uk/security_article264117.html