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| All US passports to be RFID chipped |
| 2005-10-27 |
All US passports will be implanted with remotely readable computer chips starting in October 2006, the Bush administration has announced. Man am I glad I already have my passport Sweeping new State Department regulations issued on Tuesday say passports issued after that time will have tiny RFID chips that can transmit personal information including the name, nationality, sex, date of birth, place of birth and digitised photograph of the passport holder. Yeah right, name rank and serial number is all Eventually, the government contemplates adding additional digitised data such as "fingerprints or iris scans". Over the last year, opposition to the idea of implanting RFID chips in passports has grown amidst worries that identity thieves could snatch personal information out of the air simply by aiming a high-powered antenna at a person or a vehicle carrying a passport. Out of the 2,335 comments on the plan that were received by the State Department this year, 98.5 per cent were negative. The objections mostly focused on security and privacy concerns. So this is why we're proceeding with this, because 98% oppose it But the Bush administration chose to go ahead with embedding 64KB chips in future passports, citing a desire to abide by "globally interoperable" standards devised by the International Civil Aviation Organization, a United Nations agency. Other nations, including the United Kingdom and Germany, have announced similar plans. In regulations published on Tuesday, the State Department claims it has addressed privacy concerns. The chipped passports "will not permit 'tracking' of individuals", the department said. "It will only permit governmental authorities to know that an individual has arrived at a port of entry - which governmental authorities already know from presentation of non-electronic passports - with greater assurance that the person who presents the passport is the legitimate holder of the passport." To address citizens' concerns about ID theft, the Bush administration said the new passports will be outfitted with "anti-skimming material" in the front cover to "mitigate" the threat of the information being surreptitiously scanned from afar. It's not clear, though, how well the technique will work against high-powered readers that have been demonstrated to read RFID chips from about 160 feet away. A State Department official, who did not wish to be identified by name, I wonder why said on Tuesday: "The shielding in the passport is a physical device that basically, when the passport cover is closed, it's very difficult to read the chip." The official was unable to provide details about the material's composition. The National Institute of Standards and Technology, which has been working to evaluate the chip's vulnerability to skimming, was unable to provide further information on Tuesday. I know we need some type of ID, but I don't think this is it, what are your thoughts For the whole article: http://networks.silicon.com/lans/0,39024663,39153665,00.htm |
| Posted by:Jan |
| #10 I'm confused, Old Spook. Why? |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2005-10-27 22:53 |
| #9 I am going to have to "lose" mine next spring and get a new date with the reissue. That'll hold me for a while. After Oct 06, prudence recommends 30 seconds in the microwave for Mr Passport. |
| Posted by: Oldspook 2005-10-27 22:38 |
| #8 Cover it in Aluminium foil, then cover that with RFIDs. |
| Posted by: Bright Pebbles 2005-10-27 12:27 |
| #7 For you, aluminum foil is recommended. |
| Posted by: ed 2005-10-27 12:16 |
| #6 we'll need to carry around little lead boxes with our passports in them. |
| Posted by: bk 2005-10-27 12:04 |
#5 Man am I glad I already have my passport |
| Posted by: Bomb-a-rama 2005-10-27 12:01 |
| #4 embedding 64KB chips in future passports I'm naming my passport "Commodore". Will we be able to plug them into our GameBoys? |
| Posted by: Seafarious 2005-10-27 09:20 |
| #3 It's a good idea. It eliminates passport forging and makes stealing/selling of passports worthless. What do I care if my birthday and photo are encrypted in a chip. It's already printed in the passport. One downside, if this is implemented in Europe, how will the penniless Bangkok Eurotrash make quick cash? |
| Posted by: ed 2005-10-27 08:55 |
| #2 Well, it wouldn't be THAT hard. RFID is already used at all levels of the supply chain. Putting one in a passport shouldn't be a problem. |
| Posted by: gromky 2005-10-27 08:33 |
| #1 I think the idea has merit, it will immediately eliminate pasport forging. I don't think most forgers have the means to make and forge the info to the chips. Rewriting the chips will probably be impossible. The whole idea seems to prevent forgeries, Good. Make it hard enough that only a Government has the resources, and forgery will stop. |
| Posted by: Redneck Jim 2005-10-27 08:23 |