Slashdot Mirror
RFID Tags To Track Foreigners, Identify Dead
An anonymous reader writes "U.S. security officials say they will use RFID technology at border posts with Canada and Mexico to track foreigners driving in and out of the United States. A Department of Homeland Security spokesman said wireless chips for vehicles would become mandatory at designated border crossings in Canada and Mexico as of Aug. 4. At the same time, British officials are considering using RFID chips to identify the dead in the wake of a disaster." From the British article: "...following the bomb blasts on the London Underground, the process of identifying some bodies - particularly on the deep-lying Piccadilly Line - became very difficult, with some families upset by the amount of time it took to confirm a relative had died. VeriChip advocates argue it could help in these circumstances. "
If you RTFA you'd know that the RFID devices are for individuals and not for vehicles. You merely place your document on the dashboard to be scanned for a preliminary screening.
Yup, there are many ways in which this particular setup can be used in a sinister manner (i.e. deciding to find out why a particular RFID isn't moving, why it's in a different car, or just randomly stopping a car that contains an RFID tag under false pretenses to see what the occupant is up to).
This sounds like a way to make insurance fraud easier. Just take out your RFID chip, put it in someone else's dead body. Why bother even checking dental records? The "Computer" is always right.
-- Dan
I believe there are more instances of the abridgement of freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments by those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations.
If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy.
_________________________________
If ever there was a need for someone who had the insight that this man had, now is the time.
We will bankrupt ourselves in the vain search for absolute security. -- Dwight D. Eisenhower
Come on, lets have some fun with this! :->
At least we can give people a choice.
"And he [the beast or anti-christ] causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, and that no-one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast for it is the number of a man: his number is 666".
Revelations 13; 16-18
All of this reliance on RFIDs for identity seems strange to me...
What's to stop people from cloning these things? Either cloning their docs and selling them to others for whatever reason... or worse - reading and cloning the chip of some iunnocent bystander?
Didn't the national ID legislation passed recently require RFID?
What if someone walking past you on the street reads your ID, clones it, then commits a crime? What happens to you next time you take a trip to Toronto or go through a toll booth or whatever?
This space available.
Tourism, business, science,... you name it.
I, for one, would love to visit USA on a business trip, to participate in certain world class scientific conferences that are annually held over there and meet the colleagues I've got over there. However, even today I would have to submit my fingerprints and maybe some biometric information to enter which, at least in part, has held me back. If in the future I would also have to carry an RFID on my person at all times... no way.
The owls are not what they seem
....to track more microbiologists. Since someone has killed 60+ since 2001. Maybe this is how they plan to find them easier, and kill them. List of dead scientists: http://www.stevequayle.com/dead_scientists/Updated DeadScientists.html
I used to program RDIF Chips. Sometimes we would have numerous chips in the same room with us and we've have a problem selecting a particular chip. The solution: We used a simple wire shelf that was laying around between the RFID Chips and the antenna. This was so effective that whenever anyone needed to block other tags in their cube farm, they'd ask, "When you going to be done with the shelf?"
Now, take the concept of the faraday cage and weave it into clothing - a Faraday Suit, if you will. Instantly, you've blocked the RFID chip's response and effectively removed yourself from being spied on (Or having your criminal activity being noted with your name).
Slightly off topic, but considere this:
let's consider the new gamma ray riot(crowd) control weapon that is in development and about to be tested/deployed in Iraq. If this chip is embedded inside a body and exposed to this ray, it will, potentially, heat up and burst releasing it's chemical make-up inside a person's body - not to mention the cruel heating experience the person will be subjected to.
This whole concept is just bad science, bad politics and bad thinking.
Tracking people not possible, its just unfeasible since its a short range
Just because it's not currently feasible doesn't mean it won't be in the future (even the relatively near future). All you would need is enough sensors and a network capable of handling the data. Not long ago it wasn't feasible to have red light traffic cameras, but now they are spreading like wildfire. Not long ago it wasn't feasible to have 'security' cameras on public streets to watch for 'criminal activity', but now they too are appearing in cities. How long will it be before it is feasible to track anyone at the whim of a government official?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/olmedia/1935000/images/_1937 011_leonnumber_bbc_150.jpg
What if Tetris was invented by Nazis?
The mandatory program will apply, however, to all foreigners with U.S. visas--including those from the 27 countries whose citizens don't need visas for short U.S. visits--who cross into the United States at those points.
I am an H1B visa worker in the US, and this might finally be the straw that would make me leave in disgust. Congratulations!