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Privacy Threat in New RFID Travel Cards?

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the new-and-improved-tin-foil-wallets dept.

DemolitionX9 writes to tell us ZDNet has an interesting article rehashing the problems with privacy in future RFID-equipped travel documents and ID. The piece focuses on a recent speech given by Jim Williams, director of the Department of Homeland Security's US-VISIT program. From the article: "Many of the privacy worries center on whether RFID tags--typically minuscule chips with an antenna a few inches long that can transmit a unique ID number--can be read from afar. If the range is a few inches, the privacy concerns are reduced. But at ranges of 30 feet, the tags could theoretically be read by hidden sensors alongside the road, in the mall or in the hands of criminals hoping to identify someone on the street by his or her ID number."

4 of 265 comments (clear)

  1. RFID triggered terrorist bombs by Bubba-T · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Set off a Bomb when person id code 46465456456489715678984 walks by

  2. Re:practically speaking by Tackhead · · Score: 5, Insightful
    > This is all very intriguing, but how exactly could someone exploit this RFID range to make my life worse? I can only think of things that would make it better. Could someone explain less abstractly than "Didn't you read 1984?"

    "Ground Beef a L'amerique".

    Ingredients:

    1 Terrorist.
    1 RFID reader.
    1 Pringles can.
    1 Blasting cap.
    1 Pound of boom-boom stuff.

    Assemble recipe. Bake in broad daylight on side of road until American tour bus comes by.

  3. Devil's advocate - switch the antenna by Weaselmancer · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Why not put a switch in the antenna's path? To use the card, you have to push a contact button to turn it on? That would stop passive scanning, right?

    --
    Weaselmancer
    rediculous.
  4. Re:practically speaking by PowerKe · · Score: 5, Insightful

    How is this any different from someone stealing your passport now?

    Because it's not even necessary to steal your passport, it's not even necessary to touch it. You can walk past someone at 25 feet and copy it. If you have an ordinary passport and keep it in a safe place all the time you can be pretty sure no one takes it without you knowing and if they steal it, you might notice it's missing.

    Besides, if the RFID card is designed to be readable at 25 feet, it's probably possible to do so at a much longer distance using special equipment.