Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

RFID Passports Raise Safety Concerns

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the what's-this-all-aboot-ay dept.

CurtMonash writes "CNNMoney.com features a skeptical article about the US State Department's plans to soon issue RFID passports (currently being tested on State Department employees). One fear is that they can be hacked for information about you. And even if they can't, carrying around a little transmitter saying 'I'm an American! I'm an American!' isn't a fun and safe thing to do in all parts of the world." From the article: "Basically, you've given everybody a little radio-frequency doodad that silently declares 'Hey, I'm a foreigner,' says author and futurist Bruce Sterling, who lectures on the future of RFID technology. 'If nobody bothers to listen, great. If people figure out they can listen to passport IDs, there will be a lot of strange and inventive ways to exploit that for criminal purposes.'"

5 of 459 comments (clear)

  1. Hows about.. by kickedfortrolling · · Score: 0, Troll

    What if they just transmit the pasport number, a unique but largely useless reference? that way legit people can use it to check against records, and illigit people are buggered. I personally would prefer a chip in my arm so i dont need to bother carrying a passport/driving licence etc, and i'd certainly have all criminals tagged.. wait.. i mean branded.. Think of it as a VFID

    --
    --AlexC
    Just because I dont agree with climate change doesnt make me a troll
  2. The Department... by Valthan · · Score: 0, Troll

    Zonk, you are a retard. 1) That is a stupid reference that people try to use to make fun of the way SOME Canadians speak (started as far as I know by South Park) 2) This article has nothing to do with Canada at all.

    So, if I am mistaken and you are not a complete and utter moron, what were you referencing with the "... dept" line?

    --
    --Valthan
  3. real cause... Re:yeah by leuk_he · · Score: 0, Troll

    Maybe Americans should focus on the real reason they are not liked everywhere instead of worrying about some RFID thread. The real problem is not their identification but the reason they are not liked. WOnder what that reason is......

  4. Re:The transmitter is useless by sponglish · · Score: 0, Troll

    "No transmitter needed for an American to be recognized everywhere in the world..." Ain't that the truth! It's that certain air, not of condescension, but the pride that comes from being a citizen of the world's only superpower. For those of us who aren't self-loathing liberals, it's a nice feeling. Go ahead and mod me down, it doesn't change the facts.

    --
    "I improvise. It's my greatest talent. I prefer situations to plans..." --Wintermute, William Gibson's "Neuromancer"
  5. Can already spot a foreigner a mile away by HermanAB · · Score: 0, Troll

    In most parts of the world, an American stands out like a red flashing beacon in crowd. You don't need RFID to spot them. First off, they are a head and shoulders taller than most people (except in Germany!), secondly they dress funny and thirdly they are loud mouthed. Sorry, no offence intended, but that is just how it is. In order to blend in, in a foreign country, you have to live there for a few years.

    --
    Oh well, what the hell...