Texas Considers Putting RFID Tags in All Cars

An anonymous reader submits "In section 601.507 of Texas HB 2893, the Texas Legislature is considering replacing all vehicle inspection stickers with RFID tags. The legislation also makes provision for the government to use the devices for insurance enforcement. The bill contains limited privacy provisions, but does not seem to exclude other law enforcement usage."

Comments

MOD PARENT UP

[PakProtector]

That is all. Er, actually, could I get a +5 insightful? Just wondering.

/me microwaves sticker

[Ph33r th3 g(O)at]

I don't know what could have happened to it, officer! Must have been the same stray electromagnetism that wiped the stripe on my license!

Re:/me microwaves sticker

[DavidTC]

This is why you blank all the cop's cars first.

Hmm, this presents a bit of a problem...

[pla]

Does anyone have a really big microwave oven I could put my car in for a few minutes?

Hmm, I wonder if a radar gun at very close range would suffice...

Well, the old "whack it over and over with a rubber mallet" would work, I expect. Break the chip but not the windshield and hopefully not the sticker itself.


AHA! I've got it...

A Tesla coil! Put 200kv across the sucker and see how well it fares.


Nevermind, problem solved. Go about your cries of doom and gloom, everyone.

Hey ...

[Anonymous Coward]

I bet I can defeat this by wrapping the car in aluminum foil ...

Re:Remember...

[tomhudson]

Hey, if you're really worried, just do like Arnie did in "Total Recall" - wrap a wet towel around it.

It turns out there's some truth in it after all - they're having a hard time using RFID in fruits because the high water content absorbs the signals.
http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache:j7dhJE6hsjsJ: www.ebi.temple.edu/programs/RFID/RFIDSupplyChain.p df+rfid+fruits+absorb+signal&hl=en

Those facists!

[hikerhat]

I live in Colorado, and here they _require_ tags that operate in roughly the 10^14 - 10^15 Hz range (note, that isn't far from X-Ray range. Could they be dangerous? Industry funded studies probably say no, but who can believe those?) Not only does this allow police to identify the vehicle _even if you are not committing a crime_, but it is relatively easy for non-government officials, and even large corporations to read these types of tags. Privacy was absolutely not taken into account when these tags were designed.

I'm working on an embedded Gnu/Linux device that will be roughly 304.8mm wide x 152.4mm tall that can be mounted on the back of the vehicle to prevent readers from picking up the signals from the tags. I'll post details to this thread when it is ready.

I recommend all Colorado citizens contact and complain to their representatives tonight!

Re:Remember...

[NanoGator]

"And yet another would"

Uh, no, I don't think they'd make a [NO CARRIER] joke then.

In Other News

[Master of Transhuman]

the Texas Legislature has passed a law requiring all "American" flags flown throughout the state to contain the phrase "Heil Bush!" and the Carlyle Group corporate logo.

Meanwhile, a few hundred more black kids will have their feeding tubes removed under the "Futility" law because their poor parents can't pay the hospital bill for the treatment.

And a few hundred more minority criminals will be executed.

Welcome to Texas - land of "the law" (as they used to call it.)

Memo to Osama: Got any idea where your next target should be?