var json_comments = new Array("
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rpm773
July 18, 2009 2:09 PM
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...this is thankfully one of those rare problems that you can solve with a hammer...

Yep. There's an RFID snooper from Russia in the Vienna airport right now with several missing teeth.

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Don_Thate
July 18, 2009 2:58 PM
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@rpm773: You owe me three teeth, comrade.

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B1663R
July 20, 2009 1:47 PM
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@Don_Thate: its always nice to meet another Russian :)

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CrazyTrain
July 18, 2009 2:23 PM
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I love the way the State Department claims that hackers will find no \"practical use\" for the data on the chip. Then why put one on there?

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5 replies
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feckingmorons
July 19, 2009 12:52 AM
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@CrazyTrain: Because legitimate government agencies with data matched to the RFID chip number do find it useful.


So I can read the number of the RFID chip in your passport, big deal. It is not your SSN, it is not even your passport number. It is simply the serial number of the RFID chip in your passport. Without that data that would correlate that number to your name it is completely useless.


The government has always had that information, if you trusted them with it 10 years ago why not trust them with it now.


I hate to break it to you but new cars give off radio signals in the tire pressure monitoring systems that can be picked up and used to track where you have been going. If you want to be paranoid, be paranoid about something entertaining.

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Rachacha
July 18, 2009 4:44 PM
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@CrazyTrain: It was my understanding (and I have no information that what I have read from the State Department when I received my passport) that the information on the RFID chip was identical to the information page of your passport which would make it more difficult to counterfeit or alter the passport information page. If this is true, the information on the RFID chip is your name, the state and country you were born in, your date of birth, your sex and a digital photograph.


When you go through Customs in the US, or in countries who have the RFID readers, they can \"scan\" your passport, and see a digital representation of the information that should be on the passport page. If this does not match, then you get additional screening.

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Shivved
July 18, 2009 10:19 PM
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@Rachacha: If I recall correctly, no actual info is stored on the chip itself, but that it merely corresponds to an entry in a database that stores the information.

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morlo
July 18, 2009 5:44 PM
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@Rachacha: I don't see how this increases security at all. I'm sure most passports can be verified through a database, and those that can't probably have untrustworthy government-issued passports anyway.

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Rachacha
July 18, 2009 7:08 PM
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@morlo: True if you are talking about a US Citizen at a US Boarder, but teh E-passport is a worlwide effort (ok, US, Canada, Europe and portions of Asia) to push a standardized passport to citizens. With an RFID reader, a boarder protection agent in Germany can verify that the passport is legitamite for a US Citizen, a Canadian Citizen or a Japaneese citizen and they do not need to be given access to the U.S. State department database as all of the information is contained in the passport.

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god_forbids
July 18, 2009 6:22 PM
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@morlo: The printed surface of stolen passports can be overwritten by thieves to match their own info. This is used primarily to prevent that. The threat of being discovered is usually enough to discourage that method.

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crotonic
July 18, 2009 3:42 PM
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@CrazyTrain: They put it on there because it is useful to border security agents and the like durrp. Now whether or not the info is actually useless to criminals I'm not so sure of. Does anyone know what kind of info they hold. I'm guessing its just the information printed on it: address, name, etc. All of which are much easier to determine than by running around an airport with a scanner. Maybe they could do something with your passport number, but that's not exactly a credit card or social security number.

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Bob Lu
July 18, 2009 2:30 PM
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I'm wondering can you microwave the RFID passport/ID card and zap the chip without damage the appearance of the passport/ID card?

(I KNOW you can kill the RFID chip effectively this way. And if you do it right the chip won't really burst into flame. I'm more concern about the passport itself. If it is printed with sort of ink containing enough metal particles, microwave it can be a very very bad idea...)

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3 replies
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oldtaku
July 18, 2009 9:46 PM
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@Bob Lu: Someone who tried this found that by the time the chip was fried enough to not respond there was obvious singing of the other materials from the chip heating up. You might be able to work out a way to do it, but it's certainly not worth risking your only passport on.

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Pink Puppet
July 18, 2009 2:39 PM
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@Bob Lu: I've heard it doesn't work very well. The hammer idea, when employed cautiously, will fix you right up with no obvious damage.

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FLConsumer
July 18, 2009 9:21 PM
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@Pink Puppet: I've done the hammer trick (use something between the hammer & passport to prevent marks) and can confirm it does indeed prevent the RFID from being read. So far it hasn't caused me any grief at the borders

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HogwartsAlum
July 18, 2009 10:52 PM
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@FLConsumer:

Is it a little bulge in the booklet? How do you know where to hit?

(I don't have a passport right now so I don't know.)

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Pink Puppet
July 19, 2009 5:35 AM
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@HogwartsAlum: Wired says, \"RFID-tagged passports have a distinctive logo on the front cover; the chip is embedded in the back.\"

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huadpe
July 19, 2009 6:56 PM
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@HogwartsAlum: Yeah, I'd advise against microwaving. The name page has a ton of holograms which are made with metalic compounds and would get all fried and fraudulent-looking if you nuked it.

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I Love New Jersey
July 18, 2009 2:32 PM
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In Soviet America, government identity thefts you!

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4 replies
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MooseOfReason
July 19, 2009 9:52 PM
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@I Love New Jersey: Sorry. I did click the correct arrow, but it moved my comment over.

They should change the comment system, and add notification so I don't have to bookmark the articles I've commented on and manually check to see if I have replies.

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RogerTheAlien
July 20, 2009 11:14 PM
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@MooseOfReason: There was a thread a couple of months ago that introduced a webservice that told you when you had replies. Of course, I can't remember anything other than that, but if you're REALLY bored, you can look for it. It was from like April or something. Made it easy, for sure.

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bohemian
July 18, 2009 2:47 PM
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I would suggest putting something over said passport like a small piece of leather or flannel cloth before you smash it. It should still have the force to destroy the chip without leaving a hammer indentation or marks on the paper.

What really makes me annoyed is that people have been pointing out the huge flaws in this idea since it was conceived. The government just sticks their fingers in their ears and ignores it until they can't any longer.

Wasn't there some tech trick of making a folder out of duct tape and tin foil to block the chip?

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Matthew Berkhan
July 18, 2009 2:55 PM
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This is one of the things that annoys me about government. All this talk about \"radio-opaque sheaths\" and \"attenuation sleeves\" to fix a problem they created. Not accounting for all the money spent to develop and test such things...

Aluminum foil and duct tape. It'll block almost anything.

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4 replies
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The Black Bird
July 18, 2009 8:30 PM
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@Matthew Berkhan: I remember reading about someone who made a wallet out of duct tape and it supposedly was able to protect the RFID chips in credit cards.

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Julia789
July 18, 2009 4:29 PM
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@Matthew Berkhan: So the people with the tin foil hats were right all along!

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Darkest Daze
July 18, 2009 7:21 PM
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@Julia789: I'm not 100% on this, but I think tin foil actually has the ability to amplify the signal while aluminum will block it. I kind of recall reading a study that came to that conclusion, but I'm too lazy to find it.

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perruptor
July 19, 2009 1:28 PM
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@Darkest Daze: What most people are talking about when they say tinfoil is aluminum foil. Tin is not even used in tin cans any more - those are steel.

You can buy tin foil, but it's not available in your local store.

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amandakerik
July 19, 2009 8:47 AM
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@Darkest Daze: \"Tin foil\" in the US / Canada is actually aluminum foil, it used to be tin until around WW2, then it was replaced by aluminum which is cheaper (and possibly more sturdy).

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raleel
July 18, 2009 3:09 PM
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looking at mine with careful bending of the back, it appears to be in the upper right quadrant, less than an inch from the top and maybe an inch from the binding. there is a small rectangle there that highlights and is slightly more resistant to bending. It also appears on my wife's, which is in better condition (less international travel).

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1 replies
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HogwartsAlum
July 18, 2009 10:54 PM
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@raleel:

Thank you, you answered my question.

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azntg
July 18, 2009 3:09 PM
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Despite the fact that there were studies held (some from other countries that already embedded RFID chips in their passports) stating that the RFID signal could be easily read with a cheap RFID reader from a fairly long distance AND the \"encryption\" could be easily cracked, the U.S. Government did what it does best... make a token adjustment and disclaim anyone that would question the security of the entire outfit.

It really doesn't take a genius to realize that the protective covers will be useless for anyone that travels more than once during the 5/10 year expiry date (Anybody try reading a paperback book? After a while, the cover will begin to \"float\"). Not to mention that longer keys will eventually be crackable (in a relatively short amount of time, as technology progresses pretty rapidly).

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Aphex242
July 18, 2009 3:17 PM
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@ospreyguy: Guys, I'm pretty sure he was kidding.

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YouDidWhatNow?
July 18, 2009 3:42 PM
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@aphex242:


I don't think he was...by all appearances, he's actually that stupid.

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SOhp101
July 18, 2009 3:41 PM
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@aphex242: If you read his other comments in the past, you can tell he probably isn't.

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Aphex242
July 18, 2009 8:20 PM
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@SOhp101: I stand corrected. Definitely a bona-fide loser.

Also, he amusingly has no idea what 'censorship' means.

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Pink Puppet
July 18, 2009 3:28 PM
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@aphex242: The frightening thing is that you cannot tell.

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TCama
July 18, 2009 3:39 PM
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federal and state officials recommend that Americans keep their e-passports tightly shut

So it sounds as if the passport cover has radio-opaque material on it, but passport cards and enhanced drivers licenses don't have such covers.

In other words, you don't need to buy a radio-opaque cover for your passport. Just for your enhanced drivers license or passport card.

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6 replies
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takotchi
July 18, 2009 11:04 PM
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@TCama: The passport card comes with a sleeve that is supposed to block the RFID chip. At least, it did when they first came out and I received mine.

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rlee
July 18, 2009 9:37 PM
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@TCama: You seem to be assuming that in typical carrying scenarios -- in your bag or jacket pocket -- the passport is in fact \"tightly shut\"; I think the tests have shown otherwise. So you either need to use a sleeve or wallet which is either signal-opaque or very snug, or tape it thoroughly.

Personally, I was very happy that I needed to replace my expiring passport in '06 shortly before they started with the chips.

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subtlefrog
July 18, 2009 4:40 PM
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@TCama: Haha - it makes it sound like the RFID is like one of those obnoxious greeting cards - you open the passport up and the RFID signal come spilling out like the Batman theme song or something. If only it were that simple...

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Julius Seizure
July 19, 2009 12:06 AM
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@subtlefrog: Oh, wouldn't that be AWESOME - you open your passport and your national anthem plays!!!

Maybe, as a security measure, you'd have to SING our anthem.

\"I'm sorry, sir, we have to do advance screening. You missed that arpeggio three bars back.\"

\"I've got a cold, dammit\"

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floraposte
July 18, 2009 6:46 PM
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@subtlefrog: Now I think passports should open up with theme songs and confetti. Wouldn't frontiers be more fun?

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Julius Seizure
July 19, 2009 12:07 AM
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@floraposte: Sorry, I should have kept reading. You're idea's better - let's go with it.!!!

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TCama
July 18, 2009 3:40 PM
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@TCama: The cover of the e-passport booklet contains a metallic sheathing that can diminish the distances radio waves travel

Answered my own question just by reading more.

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Newvox
July 18, 2009 3:49 PM
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Wasn't it the Communists behind the Iron Curtain who spied on their own citizens and disregarded their own laws at their convenience?

No, wait, that was Bush-Cheney!

Seriously folks, pulling out the Socialist (Marxist, Leninist, whatever) card, is one of the weakest strategies of the Opposition. It just shows the lack direction after Bush-Cheney showed that they really stood for whatever they wanted, and not for a Party, Nation, or ideology.

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RogerTheAlien
July 20, 2009 11:29 PM
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@Newvox: Seriously? It's about passports and the State Department (now it's Obama's and Clinton's State Department, so you can't pull the political party card) issuing a statement about their supposed security. And you had to go and pull the whole \"Bush-Cheney are the devil...burn!\" How about you stay on topic and offer some actual commentary thay may help people seeking information?


What a fucking troll. Get a life.

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Jeff_McAwes0me
July 18, 2009 7:40 PM
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@Newvox: But Obama is continuing most of Bush's policies. Does that make him a Fascist too?

Fascist was the word you were looking for (or maybe Stalinist), Socialist and Marxist are economic theories. And I defy you to show me the party platform of any Socialist party in Europe and show me how it differs from that of the Democrats.

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Trai_Dep
July 18, 2009 3:49 PM
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If only the government listened - just every once in a while, not all the time; I'm a realist - to those filthy, hippy geeks who say, Privacy Is Good.
Even from government's \"snazzy\" ideas, or private companies' \"innovation\", or quasi-public utility/telecommunication entities' helpful monitoring \"for our own good\".
Even, filthy, hippy, geeky, bloggistas. Because the funny thing is that, sooner or later, we find that we're all filthy, hippy, geeky, bloggistas.

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Trai_Dep
July 18, 2009 3:51 PM
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@Trai_Dep: Oh, and for those that supported the PATRIOT Act, thanks!

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The Black Bird
July 18, 2009 8:55 PM
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@Trai_Dep: WHAT!?!? Do you mean to say you didn't like having the Bush-Cheney illegally search/listen to your telephone, e-mail communications, medical, financial, business, library and other records all without a court order?

What kind of American are you?

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Michael Norton
July 18, 2009 4:34 PM
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Stop! Hammer time!
Can't touch my data, hackers!

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1 replies
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WatchOutNow
July 20, 2009 5:05 PM
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@Michael Norton:

Funny I was thinking of the same exact theme, but you beat me to it. good WORk, & yes I did hammer time my Passport, and nuked it for 15 seconds on medium. It shrivel a tiny, tiny bit...but all good now.

Cheers

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kduhtoe
July 18, 2009 5:30 PM
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I'm sure a lot of the people who are concerned about RFID in their passports also have a similar transmitter in their credit cards which they've never thought about. If you do have one of these, you can call the bank to deactivate it.

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kateblack
July 18, 2009 7:16 PM
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@kduhtoe: You can call the bank to request a card that does not have the RFID in it. That may or may not be effective. I've never heard of a bank being able to \"deactivate\" the RFID chip in their customers' cards.

You can deactivate it yourself with a hammer, microwave or total removal.

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kduhtoe
July 19, 2009 5:44 PM
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@kateblack: Since I do not have my American Express user agreement with me I cannot quote the terms verbatim, but there is a statement within the original documentation (those 10 pages of fine print) which comes with the card stating the user may request to deactivate the quick pass functionality of the card by calling customer service. This is what I did. I tested it afterwards. The card is swipe only now.

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The Black Bird
July 18, 2009 8:35 PM
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@kateblack: You can also deactivate it yourself by using a drill bit to make a hole through it.

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Steve Pan
July 18, 2009 7:32 PM
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RFD pssprts r jst n mr stp n th vntl tkvr f Fr mrc by bm mrxsts
Wk p ppl

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9 replies
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The Black Bird
July 18, 2009 8:13 PM
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@Steve Pan: @kduhtoe: \"Conspiracy theorists and extremists (left or right) can not be bothered with things like timelines and logic!\"

They also cannot be bothered with the truth.

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PsiCop
July 18, 2009 6:38 PM
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@Steve Pan: Be careful, the tinfoil hat is slipping off your head.

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ceriphim
July 18, 2009 5:59 PM
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@Steve Pan: Oh fine, I'll say it since no one else has yet.

Facebook FTW!

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PølάrβǽЯ
July 18, 2009 3:59 PM
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@Steve Pan: Highly political comments such as this should be banned in the Consumerist Comments Code and disemvoweled.

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Steve Pan
July 18, 2009 7:33 PM
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@Dn't tk nythng rn8301 sys srsly:
Ths s th srt f cnsrshp w cn lk fwrd t frm bm nd hs CRN lckys w nd t tk bck ths cntry

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supercereal
July 18, 2009 7:04 PM
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@Steve Pan: I know I shouldn't feed the troll, but how exactly does a private blog's code of conduct (that's been in place for years) have anything to do with Obama or ACORN?

How are you not banned for irrelevance, paranoia, and general douchebaggery yet?

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The Black Bird
July 18, 2009 8:28 PM
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@supercereal: Didn't you know...President Obama is responsible for anything bad that has happened no matter when or where it happened. If Bush hit an animal while driving yesterday the \"right\" would have tried to show how it was President Obama's fault.

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HiPwr
July 19, 2009 12:39 AM
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@Bogart's Falcon aka Philly Falcon: Exactly. After eight years, the roles have just reversed. Hell, there were nuts blaming Bush for the weather. The WEATHER!


Those were the nuts on the left, and now the nuts on the right do the same thing. Has our country ever been this partisan?

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The Black Bird
July 19, 2009 12:53 AM
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@HiPwr: While I have no love for Bush, and I believe he really screwed up this country it was, and is, not fair to blame him for things he did not do or cause. It should be the same level playing ground for President Obama as well.

I believe our country reached it's partisan peak during the Presidential Election in 2004. And while it still rears its ugly head I believe the election of President Obama has slowed it down a bit. In may not seem like it at times but I believe all-in-all it is a bit better than it was after the 2004 election.

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ospreyguy
July 18, 2009 3:08 PM
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@Steve Pan: Umm, this started BEFORE Obama was in office and I don't think a Pres would be that involed in such a thing as passport tech. That said the policies of the Obama admin that have been implemented make me cringe...

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supercereal
July 18, 2009 3:15 PM
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@ospreyguy: That's exactly what I was going to say. Talk of implementing this has been around for many years, and I think they started allowing people to get the RFID passports a year or two ago.

But hey, since Obama's in office, everything that federal, state, and local governments do is automatically socialist...

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catastrophegirl chooses not to fly
July 18, 2009 5:17 PM
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@supercereal: yep, i got my first passport in 2007 and it has an RFID chip.

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floraposte
July 18, 2009 6:44 PM
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@catastrophegirl - sometimes makes typos and doesn't care: My God--Obama's Marxism/Socialism is so powerful it operates into the past!

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catastrophegirl chooses not to fly
July 19, 2009 1:09 AM
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@floraposte: further than 2007 even because apparently they have time travel or something:
[www.spockosbrain.com]

from that page:
\"Obama-Time-Travel-Coverup Birthers insist that a giant conspiracy has taken place. The birth certificate showing that Obama was born in Honolulu in August 1961 is fake, they say. Birthers are also certain that some kind of time travel treachery has been undertaken by shadow pinko government agents, who warped themselves back to 1961 to insert notices in the Honolulu Advertiser and the Honolulu Star Bulletin saying that \"Mr. and Mrs. Barack H. Obama\" gave birth to a son on August 4, 1961.\"

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kduhtoe
July 18, 2009 6:56 PM
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@floraposte: Haha, so true. Conspiracy theorists and extremists (left or right) can not be bothered with things like timelines and logic!

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Nicole
July 18, 2009 4:14 PM
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@supercereal: Two years ago, at least. I got mine in May of 2007 and it has one.

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kduhtoe
July 18, 2009 5:25 PM
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@Nicole: I received my passport with RFID around the same time (June 2007). There was no \"opt-out\" method. George W. Bush was president, but I do not think he or Obama have anything to do with the implementation of RFID.

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icantreplyright
July 18, 2009 4:13 PM
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@supercereal: I was \"allowed\" to get one about a year ago. And by \"allowed\" I mean forced because there is no other option.

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HiPwr
July 18, 2009 3:37 PM
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@supercereal: It's either Socialist or completely fine (even when it's the exact same thing the last administration did), depending on your political slant.

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Don_Thate
July 18, 2009 2:56 PM
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@Steve Pan: Can't wake up... your government hasn't allowed the trade of my coffee rations over the border to Canada yet.

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azntg
July 18, 2009 2:55 PM
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@Steve Pan: Oh! So sorry! That was MY black helicopter flying over your house. I'll call it over right away. Sorry for the inconvenience!

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Possinator
July 18, 2009 8:38 PM
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You mean broadcasting my personal information to any passer-by isn't a good idea?

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Paladin_11
July 18, 2009 9:04 PM
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I think we're all partially missing the point. Most of the actual data on the RFID chip isn't the issue.

If I intended to single out a nationality to do them harm I might consider sweeping the area for RFID info, and then see where Americans (or Israelis, or Brits, etc.) congregate. I could then later plan a mass attack (or targeted individual attacks) that's assured of bagging me a few. I don't care what your name is or how tall you are. Just that you're of a certain nationality. It's very convenient that your own governments have seen fit to provide me with this information...

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finite_elephant
July 20, 2009 3:16 PM
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@Paladin_11: Forgive my ignorance, but how feasible is it to differentiate the RFID chips in passports from the RFID chips in keycards, credit cards, freshly shoplifted DVDs, etc? And really, is it necessary to go to such lengths to identify westerners in places where such attacks are likely to occur?

Or is this a boon to the terror bomber with OCD? \"I want to set up a device that only goes off if there are two Dutch passport holders with a Citibank visa and a copy of \"Twilight\" in widescreen nearby.\"

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Thrashy
July 18, 2009 9:14 PM
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The State Department claims that the only thing on the RFID chip is a reference number that allows customs agents to pull up your information from a separate, secure database. In order to to have personal information stolen, a hacker would need to have access to that database, which is (hopefully) considerablly more secure than an unencrypted RFID tag.

Not that it would stop me from, uh, accidentally jumping up and down on my passport or anything like that.

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Hagbard Celine
July 18, 2009 9:57 PM
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@undefined:

I think you guys might be over analyzing this. Its not the hackers/crackers/bad guys that want to scan the passports...its our own government.

How much safer we will all be when Policeman do not have to ask for anyone's ID any more, just merely turn on their scanner and automatically see if there are any miscreants around that need arresting.

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the_wiggle
July 19, 2009 5:51 PM
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@Hagbard Celine:

power corrupts + (bored primates = trouble) = god help us all.

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malo-ji
July 18, 2009 10:22 PM
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Not only functional, but not so expensive either:


[www.difrwear.com]

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sonneillon
July 18, 2009 11:34 PM
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Just to be on the safe side it's best to use that hammer to fix the RFIDs in your credit card and your cat.

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odoketa
July 19, 2009 3:58 AM
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@sonneillon: I'm pretty sure I saw an episode of Family Guy like that. Didn't work out so well for the cat...

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nacoran
July 19, 2009 2:27 AM
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This isn't new news. Even before the passports were released people who understood the technology were screaming bloody murder... kind of literally. Think about this scenario... you are traveling abroad and your RFID passport isn't fully closed or it has a damaged sleeve. You walk past a sensor that detects your proximity and your American passport. Boom.

Security concerns were ignored then. RFID has some useful applications, but it's also got tons of privacy and safety issues.

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bobpence
July 20, 2009 6:41 PM
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I use a faraday cage holder, and when I have to present it I am almost always asked to remove the passport from the otherwise-empty wallet. I am protected everywhere except where I am most vulnerable.

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