Logan International Airport in Boston will be the first U.S. airport to install identity authentication technology to screen passports, drivers licenses, visas, and other forms of identification.

However, the airport -- which figured prominently as the point of departure for the two planes that flew into the World Trade Center towers -- will be using the technology to screen documents presented by job applicants, not those presented by travellers attempting to enter or leave the country.

The Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport), the independent public authority that manages Logan, has contracted with Imaging Automation of Bedford, N.H., to install that company's iA-thenticate platform at the airport according to a statement released by Imaging Automation Monday. IA-thenticate uses proprietary hardware and a suite of software programs to verify the authenticity of a wide range of documents including passports, drivers licenses, and visas.

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