RFID Of The Beast

No idea what a U.S. "passport card" is (though USSR-style internal passports & required-for-blacks Union of South Africa pass cards come to mind).

Damnit, we've learned something new, despite ourself! Oddly enough, we found passport card when looking for "pass cards," not trusting our memory that that was the exact phrase. (It is, & how long before we're all sporting these things w/ us under penalty of law & deportation?)

Happy Traveler, our ass.

Why did we wonder?

Radio frequency identification (RFID) tags are becoming pervasive as the barcodes of the 21st century. They are being used in everything from Wal-Mart merchandise to U.S. passport cards.

Of course they aren't secure, as this report indicates.

“These are pervasive technologies, but they absolutely should not be used in identification cards,” Paget (right and top) said during the live demonstration.