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Estonia Tests "Contactless" ID-Cards

Posted by timothy on from the man-exists-for-the-state dept.

borkee writes "Estonian MEAC and CMB start testing a new version of a national ID card containing what they call 'contactless' extensions. Although they do not specifically disclose to us, taxpayers, what technology is used there, it must be quite obvious that it's nothing less than RFID. Add to this, they'll have person's biometrics in memory. (Security gurus of course know: biometrics just don't work.) Soon you can track us poor Estonians by our GSM phones and by our ID cards too!"

4 of 251 comments (clear)

  1. Estonia is teh suck. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    Let ye who knows where Estonia is, mod me down.

  2. Make yourself somebody important by mcrbids · · Score: -1, Troll

    I read somewhere here locally about how "hackable" RFID is. So, here's what I suggest:

    Reprogram your id card so that you appear to be the president of Estonia. Get arrested, do all that jazz. Make sure you aren't the only one.

    Then, go to your local card issuer and ask for a new card because yours "isn't working". Wash, rinse, repeat.

    Better yet, publish all your results on a public web page, and provide press releases to your major media (whatever applies in Estonia)

    You'll spend some time in jail, and it might be unpleasant at times, but you'll probably make the point.

    If you don't like this advice, don't ask for advice on slashdot. Slashdot is FULL TO THE BRIM OF:

    1) Teenagers using Mom's computer in the cellar, and who don't care about you personally in any way,

    2) Antisocial tripe who have an oddly foreign sounding accent even though they were raised in the area in which they live, and who, if they cared about you personally, wouldn't do anything whatsoever about it, or

    3) Middle-aged (and often wealthy) nerds/geeks who would like to be "hip" but still really don't care about you personally in any way.

    I'm probably in the third category. If the advice I give causes jail time, your death, or discomfort, remember what you paid for it.

    What's really sad about /. is that there's a good chance this point would be modded as "funny"...

    Bottom line is: Advice is only useful when you can evaluate the value of the advice provider. since /. is largely anonymous (you might recognize a sig line, but who ever follows the actual user names? and sig lines can be changed - I changed mine about 2 weeks ago) you can never evaluate the value of advice given.

    --
    I have no problem with your religion until you decide it's reason to deprive others of the truth.
  3. Excellent news! by vilms · · Score: 0, Troll

    I often lose my Estonian. This will be a boon to me and many others who frequently suffer that particular embarrassment.

  4. EQp!!. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    the political mess Smith only serve (Click Here Of *BSD asswipes uncover a story of successes wit4 the could sink your Open platform, result of a quarrel