I don’t buy into a lot of cyber-scares, but having my vital statistics accessible to anybody who feels like snatching it out of the air is definitely something I’d like to avoid. It’s not a new threat, but it seems that RFID-enhanced IDs are fast becoming the standard instead of a high-tech option. And since the security surrounding them is laughable to any serious hacker, it’s dangerous proposition to mandate them.
This AP story is a good summary of what’s been going on in the chipped ID world over the last couple years. If you’ve gotten a passport recently, or a driver’s license in certain states, chances are you’ve got RFID in there just waiting to beam its information to anyone who’s got $100 in easily-obtainable electronics.
Oh God, what can we do?! Well, it’s against the law to disable the RFID in any government-issued ID, so don’t you go off and put it in a microwave or something. But passports get a lot of use and sometimes accidents happen, like maybe you dropped your luggage on it? Or maybe you dropped a hammer on it, over and over?
Also, microwaving the device will leave telltale scorch marks.
Chipped IDs are just a stepping stone to chipped brains. They get you hooked on it until you feel you cannot live without it and then it becomes part of you. Then they turn off the switch and bye bye you. Say no!
hooray to tinfoil hats
Hooray for ignorant people, keep drinking your kool aid and believing everything they tell you. I think for myself and actually do research. Good luck in the future loser, you fail…
Just by a Faraday bag and keep your ID in there.
Just say NO
Ugh, I work for the feds, and we have these ridiculous badge holders we have to use because they’re super rfid blocking or something. They’re stainless steal, weigh a million pounds, and have this alligator clip that we have to open anytime we have to use our IDs, which we have to do all the time (to open doors and elevators and stuff). And I always got the feeling that if someone really wanted to steal the info from our IDs, these stupid things would do absolutely nothing.
anti-skimming sleeves do actually work. An identify thief would be better off trying to swipe your badge from you than skim the RFID while its in the sleeve.
If you read the original AP article, you’ll realize that the Crunchgear version of this article is very skewed.
the story is focused on Passport CARDS and other Gen2-based RFID documents (enhanced drivers licenses, which do not contain private information on the RFID chip. e-Passports, to which the Crunchgear version implies, do contain private information on the chip (and I make no excuse for that practice), however they do not use UHF technology which is readable at much greater distances.
Is there an article for radio transmitting genitals because I am not clicking on the link if it isn’t.