With new technology advancements regular passports are now an also an electronic passport. They are also called an E-passport. Electronic passports contain a small contact less integrated circuit (computer chip) embedded in the back cover.
When you look at your passport that has a little rectangle symbol on the front cover that means you have the new electronic passport. What that means is there is an RFID chip inserted in your passport so you’re protected from any theft of your passport also the government can track these passports on the airport for bad people trying to do malicious things in terms of terrorism so you would like to update to the newest electronic passport so you and the American public are protected.
The integrated passport chip securely stores the same data visually displayed on the photo page of the passport, and additionally includes a digital photograph. The inclusion of the digital photograph enables biometric comparison, through the use of facial recognition technology, at international borders. The U.S. e-passport also has a new look, incorporating additional anti-fraud and security features.
The U.S. state department has been issuing only e-passports since 2007.
If your passports is without a chip it will still be valid for the full extent of their validity period until it expires.