GLOBAL IDENTITY CARDS

If you don’t have a passport now and are planning on travelling overseas, get one – now:

From the Washington Post:
All new U.S. passports issued by the end of 2005 are expected to have a chip containing the owner’s name, birth date, issuing office and a “biometric” identifier - a photo of the owner’s face.

But wait… there’s more! This “RFID” chip will contain a passive radio antenna, connected to the chip, that just sits there until someone with a radio device sends out a signal that activates the chip. The chip then sends all that personal information out to the remote radio device, sharing it with whoever has the device. The chip can be accessed while your passport is in your briefcase, your luggage, or your pocket. It can be accessed at a checkpoint, in your car, on the street, in your apartment, from outside your apartment while you sleep … anywhere.

But wait! There’s even more. According to that Washington Post article, the Bush Administration has fought to keep the information on the chip from being encrypted. This means not only that agents of the US government can read your personal information whenever you want. It means that anyone who obtains or builds their own RFID (Radio Frequency IDentification) reader device can get your personal information, whenever and wherever they or the reader device can get close to you.

Remember, you’re required to keep your passport on your body at all times when you’re out of the country. Apart from privacy concerns, what does a scam artist, a kidnapper, a spy or a terrorist need to do to identify all the Americans in the room? Why, just pull out a handy-dandy RFID reader!

And, yes, there’s more. Virginia wants to put these chips in your drivers’ licenses.

Learn more about RFID chips, RFID readers, and what this means for the future of individual privacy and autonomy at the ACLU’s clearinghouse website on the issue.

http://www.aclu.org/Privacy/Privacy.cfm?ID=17073&c=130

Do you agree with this? I personally don't think its right!

From what I understand, RF is a very simple technology. I think it would be very easy to disable the chip from being read when the passport or DL is not in use. I would bet that simple devices to do so will be on the market by the time the new passports arrive.

Necessity is the mother of invention.

I don't see how that could possibly be illegal? That wouldn't involve any kind of fraud. I'm not talking about changing any of the the data. I'm sure that would be illegal. But you would simply be turning it off when not in use so that it can't be read by an unauthorized source.

but its not something you can turn off. Its on all the time. Like a time bomb waiting to explode

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=1053179

http://www.prisonplanet.com/articles/december2004/071204nationalid.htm

America is turning into Natzi Germany :(

If you read a little deeper, you will find simple methods already available for temporarily disabling these devices without altering, removing or physically tampering with them.

I don't know what bill you are referring to. I believe that discretionary governmental authority already exists for electronic coding of data on passport documents.

So far the implantable devices have been used for benign purposes but I would agree that they definitely pose the greatest potential threat to individual privacy.

Congress sends intelligence bill to Bush (passes Senate 89-2)

WASHINGTON (CBS.MW) -- The Senate on Wednesday passed legislation that makes sweeping changes at the top of the nation's intelligence system, sending the long-stalled bill to the White House where President Bush has promised his signature.

The Senate vote was 89-2, with nine senators not voting. The House passed the bill on a 336-75 vote on Tuesday evening.

The legislation will create a new national intelligence director post to oversee the nation's 15 intelligence agencies. It aims to increase cooperation between military and domestic intelligence agencies, establishes a counter-terrorism center and increases U.S. border security.

Lawmakers said the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks and the intelligence failures that predated the attacks, made the case for a revamp of the nation's intelligence system.

"Just as the National Security Act of 1947 was passed to prevent another Pearl Harbor, the Intelligence Reform Act will help us prevent another 9/11," said Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, the bill's chief Republican sponsor in the Senate.

"Our terrorist enemies today make no distinction between soldiers and civilians, between foreign and domestic locations when they attack us," said Sen. Joe Lieberman, D-Conn., one of the architects of the bill.
http://cbs.marketwatch.com/news/story.asp?guid=%7B9D573...

I beilve its this bill

I'm familiar with passage of this bill. It has been all over the news this week. Fwiw my opinion is that this is a highly defective piece of legislative window dressing that is unlikely to improve national security.

However, this bill, as far as I can tell, has nothing to do with passport design. Like I said before, electronic coding already falls under discretionary authority and plans for this change began in 2002.

Also, the passport chips are specifically designed to be read at a distance up to 10 cm. (4 inches). Granted that nothing is 100%, they just don't have all the potential to be compromised that you are trying to infer.

I wonder how many people are writing worrisome comments about this from computers that are subject to security breaches. Lol! And again, keep in mind that nothing is 100%!

maybe i posted the wrong bill...oops my bad lol

I wonder how many people are writing worrisome comments about this from computers that are subject to security breaches.

thats what i hate about the patriot act...aahh makes me sick...

but good point lydia