Canada plans to issue high-tech passports with digitized photographs next year, Canadian media said on Sunday.

Dan Kingsbury, a spokesman for the federal Passport Office, said the e-Passport will be distributed on a trial basis to Canadian diplomats sometime in the first half of 2005.

"If the initial implementation goes well, we'll begin issuing the e-Passport to the general public afterwards," Kingsbury said.

The project is the latest government initiative to track and control the flow of people across borders more closely following the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States.

The government is pushing ahead with the plan despite objections from privacy and information specialists who argue it is unduly intrusive and unlikely to enhance national security.

The e-Passport will feature a computer chip containing the holder's photograph and personal information on the current passport, including name and date of birth. Authorities at border points would be able to call up the data on the digital chip by swiping the passport against an electronic reader.

"The aim of the e-Passport is to reduce the chance of passport tampering and identity fraud," Kingsbury said.