Passport blues; It's amazing what you learn when you read the papers.
It's amazing what you learn when you read newspapers. F'rex, take George Bush. (Insert Rodney Dangerfield joke here). According to this Reuters article, he learned that his own administration is going to require passports to travel back from Mexico and Canada by reading a newspaper.
Um, how can he not know about this?
At least, he's showing some common sense in opposing it.
Something's weird about the whole passport issue. Next year they will begin issuing passports with Radio Frequency ID chips, (RFID for short). Your name, date of birth, and a digitized copy of your image will be transmited by these little beacons, but it seems to me that unless they're encrypted 6 ways to Sunday, anybody with a hand-held receiver will be able to find the Stupid, Ugly American in a crowd. There seems to be some debate over how far away these chips can send info, but it ranges from about 4" (10 centimeters) to about a yard (1 meter).
What's really stupid is that they refuse to use contact-read devices--like the magnetic strips on your ATM, Debit and Credit Cards. Same information, but a hell of a lot more secure. And they aren't beacons advertising the exact location of your passport.
For a good source of information, I recommend this article in Freedom to Tinker.
Via BoingBoing.
BTW, get your passport now before they begin putting RFID chips in them. They cost about $100 for a first time issue, not including the cost of getting your picture taken. They are good for 10 years. When they are renewed, they give you your old one back after updating the expiration. At least now, they do. This means that a passport issued without an RFID chip will not be replaced with a new one with the chip.
Um, how can he not know about this?
WASHINGTON, April 14 - President Bush said Thursday that he had been surprised to learn in the newspaper of his administration's decision last week to require Americans to have passports to enter the country from Mexico or Canada by 2008. He said he had asked the State and Homeland Security Departments to look into other means of tightening border security.
At least, he's showing some common sense in opposing it.
Something's weird about the whole passport issue. Next year they will begin issuing passports with Radio Frequency ID chips, (RFID for short). Your name, date of birth, and a digitized copy of your image will be transmited by these little beacons, but it seems to me that unless they're encrypted 6 ways to Sunday, anybody with a hand-held receiver will be able to find the Stupid, Ugly American in a crowd. There seems to be some debate over how far away these chips can send info, but it ranges from about 4" (10 centimeters) to about a yard (1 meter).
What's really stupid is that they refuse to use contact-read devices--like the magnetic strips on your ATM, Debit and Credit Cards. Same information, but a hell of a lot more secure. And they aren't beacons advertising the exact location of your passport.
For a good source of information, I recommend this article in Freedom to Tinker.
Via BoingBoing.
BTW, get your passport now before they begin putting RFID chips in them. They cost about $100 for a first time issue, not including the cost of getting your picture taken. They are good for 10 years. When they are renewed, they give you your old one back after updating the expiration. At least now, they do. This means that a passport issued without an RFID chip will not be replaced with a new one with the chip.
posted by Jean Dudley at 8:30 AM
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