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Privacy and Security
by gautam on July 31, 2006

The state department feels that these passports would strengthen security by making it difficult to forge the official documents and in case the passport is stolen the chip has a unique identifying number which could be tracked by law enforcement agencies worldwide. In the future the extra memory space on the RFID chip could be used for storing biometric information such as fingerprint image.
A number of security experts have already pointed fingers over the use of contactless chips which do not require contact with a scanner and the new passport could be read about four inches from a scanner and with technological changes taking place at a fast pace and with a ten year life of these passports it could be hacked. Certainly their fear seems to be logical but it is still unsure as to why the government is pushing this technology too hard is still a question which remains to be answered.
My friend cum editor on this blog, Anita has already talked about RFID blocking passport cases which could be used to counter hacking.
Trackback: http://publish.creative-weblogging.com/publish/mt-tb.pl/30678
Mr Wong
Vote for RFID Passports Make Debut in US amidst Warnings:
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Rating: 7.00 out of 1 vote(s) cast.
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Response from:
Anita Campbell
(08/03/06 2:36am)
Response from:
Chris Kapsambelis
(08/03/06 12:43pm)
Anita: Your argument seems flawed. Real evidence of Security/Insecurity can only come after most passports are tagged. Until then, you have to rely on experts for guidance. You choose to rely on government experts. I question their judgment. As for real evidence, look at the link below:
http://www.engadget.com/2006/02/03/dutch-rfid-e-passport-cracked-us-ne
xt/
http://www.engadget.com/2006/02/03/dutch-rfid-e-passport-cracked-us-ne
xt/
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The real test is: what evidence do they have to back up their claims of insecurity with RFID-chipped passports?
The answer: next to nothing.
The U.S. government is taking steps to address the security issues, and that is an important point that needs to be brought out, not the unsupported claims of "experts."
Also, remember that when I point out the use of RFID blocking passport covers, I am doing it a bit tongue-in-cheek.
-- Anita