Privacy Threats Posed By RFID Travel Cards

Filed in archive Privacy and Security on April 19, 2006

According to a top Homeland Security official, future documents issued by the government might feature embedded computer chips that can be read at a distance of up to thirty feet. Such arrange would certainly raise eyebrows as it is theoretically possible to read these tags by hidden sensors alongside the road, in a supermarket or by anti social elements trying to identify someone on the street by his or her ID number.

Jim Williams, Director, DHS US-VISIT program stated that such tracking chips could be inserted into the new generation of wallet sized cards in order to ease travel by Americans to Canada and Mexico by 2008.

This would certainly heighten privacy concerns as RFID is already under the firing line and has prompted hearings before the U.S. Congress and the Federal Trade Commission. In one such incident of protest a Californian politician had even introduced anti-RFID legislation.