connah0047 writes "The Washington Post reports that US passports will be getting RFID chips by October of 2006. Despite security concerns, the U.S. has now committed to putting RFID chips in the passports of all U.S. citizens. The new regulations will mean that all new and renewing U.S. passports will contain RFID chips by October 2006. While some believe this is a step forward, there are major privacy and security issues with the wireless technology."Ads_xl=0;Ads_yl=0;Ads_xp='';Ads_yp='';Ads_xp1='';Ads_yp1='';Ads_par='';Ads_cnturl='';Ads_prf='page=article';Ads_channels='RON_P6_IMU';Ads_wrd='privacy,usa,politics';Ads_kid=0;Ads_bid=0;Ads_sec=0; US Passports To Recieve RFID Chips Log in/Create an Account | Top | 241 comments | Search Discussion Display Options Threshold: -1: 241 comments 0: 237 comments 1: 194 comments 2: 121 comments 3: 32 comments 4: 11 comments 5: 7 comments Flat Nested No Comments Threaded Oldest First Newest First Highest Scores First Oldest First (Ignore Threads) Newest First (Ignore Threads) The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way. If only they listened... (Score:5, Interesting) by KingSkippus (799657) * on Friday October 28, @05:33PM (#13900094) (http://skippus.blogspot.com/ | Last Journal: Sunday June 19, @08:25AM) From TFA: But in a federal filing, the [State] department said that 98.5 percent of the 2,335 comments it received since it issued proposed rules last spring opposed the program. Abraham Lincoln once said [wikipedia.org] "that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."I don't know about you all, but I think that Abe was a pretty wise man with a great idea. I sure wish that our government was like that...I can't help but wonder what would happen if everyone started "accidentally" microwaving their passports. [ Reply to ThisRe:If only they listened... by TheGavster (Score:2) Friday October 28, @05:36PMRe:If only they listened... by SatanicPuppy (Score:3) Friday October 28, @05:40PMRe:If only they listened... by einhverfr (Score:2) Friday October 28, @05:46PMRe:If only they listened... by SatanicPuppy (Score:2) Friday October 28, @05:56PMRe:If only they listened... by rincebrain (Score:3) Friday October 28, @06:09PMRe:If only they listened... by bentcd (Score:3) Friday October 28, @08:22PMRe:If only they listened... by einhverfr (Score:2) Friday October 28, @08:40PMRe:If only they listened... by uncoveror (Score:2) Friday October 28, @06:15PMRe:If only they listened... by glesga_kiss (Score:2) Friday October 28, @06:23PMRe:If only they listened... by adavidw (Score:1) Friday October 28, @06:35PMRe:If only they listened... by glesga_kiss (Score:3) Friday October 28, @06:56PMRe:If only they listened... by rvandam (Score:1) Friday October 28, @07:03PMRe:If only they listened... by a whoabot (Score:1) Friday October 28, @07:12PMRe:If only they listened... by albertoiii (Score:1) Friday October 28, @08:16PMRe:If only they listened... by Seumas (Score:1) Friday October 28, @09:35PMRe:If only they listened... by albertoiii (Score:1) Friday October 28, @08:08PMRe:If only they listened... by BluedemonX (Score:2) Friday October 28, @08:32PMRe:If only they listened... by misleb (Score:2) Friday October 28, @06:18PMRe:If only they listened... by symbolic (Score:1) Friday October 28, @05:46PMRe:If only they listened... by VirexEye (Score:2) Friday October 28, @05:57PMRe:If only they listened... by MoonBuggy (Score:2) Friday October 28, @06:16PMRe:If only they listened... by moviepig.com (Score:3) Friday October 28, @06:18PMRe:If only they listened... by deke_2503 (Score:2) Friday October 28, @09:08PM1 reply beneath your current threshold.Re:If only they listened... by Dan Up Baby (Score:1) Friday October 28, @06:19PMRe:If only they listened... by poningru (Score:1) Friday October 28, @06:45PM2 replies beneath your current threshold.Lincoln: nice words, different actions by AHumbleOpinion (Score:2) Friday October 28, @07:05PMRe:If only they listened... by Guppy06 (Score:3) Friday October 28, @07:05PMRe:If only they listened... by vigilology (Score:1) Friday October 28, @07:30PMWe have a more compelling mandate... by voice_of_all_reason (Score:1) Friday October 28, @07:35PMRe:If only they listened... by evilviper (Score:2) Friday October 28, @07:47PMRe:If only they listened... by lasindi (Score:2) Friday October 28, @08:18PMMicrowave Advice by twitter (Score:1) Friday October 28, @08:21PMconsent of the governed... by scotty777 (Score:2) Friday October 28, @09:08PM1 reply beneath your current threshold. Don't like it. (Score:5, Interesting) by conJunk (779958) on Friday October 28, @05:33PM (#13900098) Earlier this year, I was sitting at a travel agent's office in Japan. There was a message prominately displayed on the desk in both English and Japanese informing travelers that they needed to have special machine-readable passports [state.gov] to enter the U.S. The rest of the world already thinks of us as loonies. This new nonsense won't help. Especially since we're requiring *other countries* to do this as well if their citizens want to enter the U.S.What's the point of RFID in a passport? Is it somehow magically impossible to forge or duplicate? Can't we agree that the people who are willing to go through the effort to make counterfeit documents like this will also have the resources to handle RFID? Aren't there ways we can spend this money that might do something a little more rational towards increasing security? Like what? I dunno. But there are probably better ways to spend the millions (billions?) this will cost to implement. [ Reply to ThisRe:Don't like it. by leathered (Score:2) Friday October 28, @06:01PMRe:Don't like it. by notasheep (Score:1) Friday October 28, @06:07PMRe:Don't like it. by Mister White (Score:1) Friday October 28, @06:16PMRe:Don't like it. by Mister White (Score:1) Friday October 28, @06:19PMRe:Don't like it. by eclectro (Score:1) Friday October 28, @06:19PMRe:Don't like it. by davids-world.com (Score:2) Friday October 28, @06:30PMRe:Don't like it. by Anne Thwacks (Score:2) Friday October 28, @06:38PMIt isn't RFID by John Harrison (Score:3) Friday October 28, @06:55PMRe:It isn't RFID by Sneftel (Score:2) Friday October 28, @11:54PMRe:It isn't RFID by swillden (Score:2) Saturday October 29, @12:27AMRe:It isn't RFID by John Harrison (Score:2) Saturday October 29, @12:28AMRe:It isn't RFID by John Harrison (Score:2) Friday October 28, @07:39PM1 reply beneath your current threshold.1 reply beneath your current threshold.Re:Don't like it. by Barto (Score:1) Friday October 28, @08:27PMRe:Don't like it. by Valkyre (Score:1) Friday October 28, @08:40PM1 reply beneath your current threshold.1 reply beneath your current threshold. Microwaving passports (Score:5, Funny) by GeorgeMonroy (784609) on Friday October 28, @05:34PM (#13900103) (http://www.monroyits.com/) What ever do you mean? =) [ Reply to ThisRe:Microwaving passports by CanSpice (Score:2) Friday October 28, @05:56PMRe:Microwaving passports by Karma_fucker_sucker (Score:1) Friday October 28, @06:10PMRe:Microwaving passports by NeutronCowboy (Score:1) Friday October 28, @06:00PMRe:Microwaving passports by MacJedi (Score:2) Friday October 28, @07:40PM1 reply beneath your current threshold.Microwaving passports 4 fun and profit. by TiggertheMad (Score:3) Friday October 28, @06:29PMRe:Microwaving passports 4 fun and profit. by raoul666 (Score:1) Friday October 28, @10:47PM For fuck's sake, rebel! (Score:1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 28, @05:34PM (#13900108) WAKE UP PEOPLE OF THE USA! [ Reply to ThisRe:For fuck's sake, rebel! by Anonymous Coward (Score:1) Friday October 28, @05:45PMThe US fixes things internally without rebellion by AHumbleOpinion (Score:3) Friday October 28, @07:39PMIt is about liberty. by Lord Jester (Score:1) Friday October 28, @08:36PMRe:The US fixes things internally without rebellio by a302b (Score:1) Saturday October 29, @12:06AMRe:The US fixes things internally without rebellio by zxsqkty (Score:1) Saturday October 29, @12:13AMRe:For fuck's sake, rebel! by x0n (Score:2) Friday October 28, @05:52PMRe:For fuck's sake, rebel! by Anonymous Coward (Score:1) Friday October 28, @06:08PM In other news... (Score:2) by Pig Hogger (10379) <pig...hogger@@@gmail...com> on Friday October 28, @05:35PM (#13900116) (http://216.138.229.143/Crackster | Last Journal: Wednesday September 22, @10:57PM) In other news, shares of Litton-McBee have been soaring 3%. According to industry expert Batson Dee-Seeling, this is because it is anticipated that microwave ovens (which uses magnetrons of which Litton-McBee have 33% of the market) sales will increase in the next two years. [ Reply to This Oh cool! (Score:3, Funny) by wheezl (63394) on Friday October 28, @05:36PM (#13900123) Now I'll be able to walk right through Customs without stopping.Riiiiiight. [ Reply to ThisRe:Oh cool! by Beardo the Bearded (Score:2) Friday October 28, @05:46PMRe:Oh cool! by ChunderDownunder (Score:1) Friday October 28, @06:27PMI wish! by Karma_fucker_sucker (Score:1) Friday October 28, @06:31PMRe:I wish! by taniwha (Score:2) Friday October 28, @07:33PMThis white male by soupdevil (Score:2) Friday October 28, @08:04PMRe:Oh cool! by Krach42 (Score:2) Friday October 28, @05:53PMRe:Oh cool! by Red Alastor (Score:2) Friday October 28, @06:37PM Remove the chip? (Score:1) by Bladestorm (914734) on Friday October 28, @05:37PM (#13900136) Would it be all that impossible to just remove it from the passport? [ Reply to ThisRe:Remove the chip? by staticsage (Score:1) Friday October 28, @05:43PMRe:Remove the chip? by Bladestorm (Score:1) Friday October 28, @06:29PMGo Directly to Jail by voice_of_all_reason (Score:2) Friday October 28, @07:39PMRe:Go Directly to Jail by Bladestorm (Score:1) Saturday October 29, @12:01AM1 reply beneath your current threshold. Wonder how long it'll be... (Score:5, Insightful) by Mister White (892068) on Friday October 28, @05:37PM (#13900140) Wonder how long until this gets whored out..Unfortunately for us, RFID chips can be read by any schmuck walking down the block with a scanner, not just the ones at the customs desk in the airport. Essentially, you may as well just pass out flyers with your personal information on them...Is this REALLY where we should be heading? [ Reply to ThisRe:Wonder how long it'll be... by conJunk (Score:3) Friday October 28, @05:46PMRe:Wonder how long it'll be... by 330Pilot (Score:1) Friday October 28, @05:52PMRe:Wonder how long it'll be... by conJunk (Score:2) Friday October 28, @05:56PMRe:Wonder how long it'll be... by Mr. Sketch (Score:3) Friday October 28, @06:21PMRe:Wonder how long it'll be... by hurfy (Score:1) Friday October 28, @06:49PMRe:Wonder how long it'll be... by cyclone96 (Score:2) Friday October 28, @06:17PMRe:Wonder how long it'll be... by aiyo (Score:2) Friday October 28, @06:57PMRe:Wonder how long it'll be... by sound+vision (Score:1) Friday October 28, @05:55PMRe:Wonder how long it'll be... by eggmit (Score:1) Friday October 28, @06:01PMRe:Wonder how long it'll be... by CanSpice (Score:2) Friday October 28, @06:01PMRe:Wonder how long it'll be... by Mister White (Score:2) Friday October 28, @06:13PMRe:Wonder how long it'll be... by d34thm0nk3y (Score:2) Friday October 28, @06:58PMRe:Wonder how long it'll be... by benbob (Score:1) Friday October 28, @07:03PMRe:Wonder how long it'll be... by Sneftel (Score:2) Friday October 28, @11:59PMRe:Wonder how long it'll be... by voice_of_all_reason (Score:1) Friday October 28, @07:43PMRe:Wonder how long it'll be... by jobcello (Score:1) Friday October 28, @06:20PM Will microwaving disable the chip? (Score:2) by geneing (756949) on Friday October 28, @05:37PM (#13900142) If I microwave my passport with that disable the chip? I need to know. My passport expires in 2009. [ Reply to ThisRe:Will microwaving disable the chip? by pclminion (Score:3) Friday October 28, @05:38PMRe:Will microwaving disable the chip? by slavemowgli (Score:2) Friday October 28, @06:11PMRe:Will microwaving disable the chip? by Jherek Carnelian (Score:2) Friday October 28, @05:41PMDo not microwave.... by Savage-Rabbit (Score:3) Friday October 28, @06:36PM1 reply beneath your current threshold.2 replies beneath your current threshold. Robustness (Score:4, Interesting) by sjhwilkes (202568) on Friday October 28, @05:37PM (#13900144) How big is this RFID chip? Small enough to be undetectable in the cover of the passport? How well will it function after being hit with a hammer? [ Reply to ThisRe:Robustness by Mister White (Score:1) Friday October 28, @05:42PMRe:Robustness by twitter (Score:1) Friday October 28, @08:24PM Excuse me, could you remove your keys, passport .. (Score:1) by slashbob22 (918040) on Friday October 28, @05:38PM (#13900145) Great, just another thing to beep while going through the scanners! [ Reply to This tin foil (Score:3, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 28, @05:39PM (#13900152) Glad I got the matching wallet when I bought my hat [ Reply to This Farraday (Score:4, Funny) by misleb (129952) on Friday October 28, @05:44PM (#13900202) I should patent the Farraday Passport Sleeve. My slogan would be, "The 'tin foil hat' for sane people."Oh, damn. I need to patent stuff before I post the idea to Slashdot.-matthew [ Reply to ThisRe:Farraday by MichaelSmith (Score:2) Friday October 28, @06:21PMRe:Farraday by misleb (Score:2) Friday October 28, @06:33PMRe:Farraday by DrSkwid (Score:3) Friday October 28, @06:22PMRe:Farraday by misleb (Score:2) Friday October 28, @06:38PM3 replies beneath your current threshold. folks (Score:3, Insightful) by circletimessquare (444983) <circletimessquare@@@gmail...com> on Friday October 28, @05:46PM (#13900232) just wrap your passport in foili'm not saying that you don't have a right to complain about this, and that there aren't real issues of snooping involvedbut i am saying the solution is easy and the implementation of this won't be stoppedso get some foil, and wrap it up, and move on to fighting for something worthwhiledon't waste your energies on a done deal with an easy work around [ Reply to ThisRe:folks by Krach42 (Score:2) Friday October 28, @05:57PMRe:folks by drinkypoo (Score:2) Friday October 28, @06:09PMRe:folks by networkBoy (Score:2) Friday October 28, @06:09PMRe:folks by MightyMartian (Score:1) Friday October 28, @06:08PMno, freedom shouldn't be a kludge by circletimessquare (Score:2) Friday October 28, @06:36PMWhy don't they simply .... by taniwha (Score:2) Friday October 28, @07:25PM Enhanced productivity. (Score:3, Informative) by OgGreeb (35588) <og@digimark.net> on Friday October 28, @05:47PM (#13900233) (http://www.digimark.net/) On the plus side, it will be much easier for terrorists to wave a RFID scanner and pick out the Americans on an international flight. [ Reply to ThisRe:Enhanced productivity. by slavemowgli (Score:2) Friday October 28, @06:08PMRe:Enhanced productivity. by MichaelSmith (Score:2) Friday October 28, @06:27PMRe:Enhanced productivity. by raoul666 (Score:1) Friday October 28, @10:53PM1 reply beneath your current threshold. Catch the Bad Guys, Lose the Good! (Score:1) by RISTMO (926726) on Friday October 28, @05:48PM (#13900241) (http://www.ristmo.com/) So now if I get kidnapped in the Middle East and get my passport stolen, they can track down the culprits! Yay! But wait -- what about ME? And here I thought they'd want me more than the bad guys :-/. [ Reply to ThisRe:Catch the Bad Guys, Lose the Good! by Tandoori Haggis (Score:2) Friday October 28, @08:46PM As seen on /. earlier this week (Score:1) by davidwr (791652) on Friday October 28, @05:48PM (#13900246) (Last Journal: Monday October 24, @05:04PM) Same substance was part of the Slashback [slashdot.org] post earlier this week. [ Reply to This For those of us with expired passports... (Score:2) by merreborn (853723) on Friday October 28, @05:52PM (#13900270) It would seem the time to renew is now! [ Reply to This X-Ray Scanning? (Score:5, Insightful) by forand (530402) on Friday October 28, @05:52PM (#13900278) So what happens to the RFID when it goes through a dozen X-Ray scans? How about just sitting in my pocket at 35k ft? Have these chips been tested to show that they will continue to work after normal wear of a passport? My passport certainly takes a beating everytime I travel: x-rays, increased radiation due to high elevation, bending, humidity, etc. I doubt all these things have been tested for.I really don't want to have to wait and hour and miss my flight as the prove that I am who my passport says I am just because some stupid chip failed. [ Reply to ThisRe:X-Ray Scanning? by SydShamino (Score:2) Friday October 28, @06:04PMRe:X-Ray Scanning? by networkBoy (Score:2) Friday October 28, @06:12PMRe: X-Ray Scanning by misleb (Score:2) Friday October 28, @06:43PMRe: X-Ray Scanning by forand (Score:2) Friday October 28, @06:51PMRe:X-Ray Scanning? by markdavis (Score:2) Friday October 28, @07:14PMRe:X-Ray Scanning? by swillden (Score:2) Saturday October 29, @12:43AMRe:X-Ray Scanning? by tk2x (Score:1) Friday October 28, @08:35PM Security issues... (Score:1) by RISTMO (926726) on Friday October 28, @05:54PM (#13900290) (http://www.ristmo.com/) "there are major privacy and security issues with the wireless technology"news to me. [ Reply to This1 reply beneath your current threshold. Business idea (Score:1) by mosabua (534503) <manfred AT mosabuam DOT com> on Friday October 28, @05:55PM (#13900300) (http://www.mosabuam.com/) So how about selling passport wallets that have a metal mesh in the cover. So long as the passport is in the wallet and it is closed the faraday cage around it should make rfid reading impossible. Would that actually work?That safes you for all situations until you cross borders. Then of course anybody standing near enough can read it.. more or less. [ Reply to ThisRe:Business idea by uncoveror (Score:2) Friday October 28, @06:30PMRe:Business idea by wendyk (Score:1) Friday October 28, @06:46PM Doesn't help Americans (Score:1, Insightful) by Viper233 (132365) on Friday October 28, @05:55PM (#13900301) (http://slashdot.org/) Troll/Flamebait/Funny/InterestingIf I was in this situation I'd be reluctant to get a passport and travel overseas. This seems to be a bad thing for Americans as most of them don't really know what is outside of America... I learnt about other countries from stories of our war veterans fighting on foriegn soil to help protect it... Do American children get taught about the same stories of the 1st and 2nd World War? the A bomb drop etc in school? Mormans have it worse, their new testament was based in America, maybe they don't even know about the Israel/Palistine area....Hopefully I'm only speaking about a small number the Americans and some of them can flame me back to disprove what I've just said.*Holds up lighter to ignite flame throwers* :-} [ Reply to ThisRe:Doesn't help Americans by ja-ja-morkmorkmork (Score:1) Friday October 28, @06:19PMRe:Doesn't help Americans by fishybell (Score:2) Friday October 28, @06:22PMRe:Doesn't help Americans by arkmannj (Score:1) Friday October 28, @06:47PM1 reply beneath your current threshold.Re:Doesn't help Americans by Acius (Score:2) Friday October 28, @11:37PMA little fact-checking by Acius (Score:2) Friday October 28, @11:49PM Papers please! (Score:4, Interesting) by isotope23 (210590) on Friday October 28, @06:05PM (#13900381) (http://newlibertarian.blogspot.com/ | Last Journal: Monday July 18, @03:23PM) IMO this country is going down the tubes in a big way.Remember history or civics class in school? The inevitable lessons about how free the US was compared to Hitler's germany or the soviet union. Back then they used to point out how free we were because we did not need papers (internal passports) to travel.How fricking free are we when we need a driver's license to board a plane? Or when our KIDS [gcn.com] need ID to board a plane? Or to visit a national park, or federal building? Not to mention the citizens are going to EAT [gcn.com] the costs.More and more it seems the only alternative is to go gulching [wikipedia.org] until the country regains its "mind your own business" mentality.Today's USA, The Anti-federalists [wikipedia.org] worst nightmare coming true. [ Reply to ThisRe:Papers please! by zoloto (Score:2) Friday October 28, @06:28PMargentina? by isotope23 (Score:2) Friday October 28, @06:45PMRe:argentina? by isotope23 (Score:2) Friday October 28, @10:32PM1 reply beneath your current threshold.1 reply beneath your current threshold. New Law (Score:3, Interesting) by Valiss (463641) on Friday October 28, @06:12PM (#13900426) (http://www.whutdufuk.com/) I somehow suspect that damaging a RFID chip (or passport) will soon be illegal. [ Reply to ThisRe:New Law by kevstar31 (Score:1) Friday October 28, @06:54PM2 replies beneath your current threshold. I Am Canadian! (Score:1) by gotkube (912919) on Friday October 28, @06:12PM (#13900429) Just one more example of how I thank God every single day that I'm Canadian. [ Reply to This1 reply beneath your current threshold. shielded wallet (Score:2)