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Total: 2 - Showing 1 to 2
Since 1st Jan 2007 all US passports have RFID 'allways on' chips!
(1 comment,
+16 / -3 votes
)
Avg: Agree
#1
There are several inaccurate points in that article, which can be clarified by reference to the wikipedia article on the subject.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RFID#Passports Most RFID tags work in what is called "passive" mode, they can only transmit information when there is an active RFID scanner nearby, and even the active tags (which have their own power supply) cannot beaming information to some global system permanently, because they still have to be withing range of a scanner that can identify the information that the tag transmits. Also, from the wikipedia entry "The chips will store the same information that is printed within the passport and will also include a digital picture of the owner. The passports will incorporate a thin metal lining to make it more difficult for unauthorized readers to "skim" information when the passport is closed." Which is designed to make it even harder for the RFID tag to be read unless the passport is handed directly to, or in close proximity to someone with a RFID scanner.
The author of the article claims that they try to keep up-to-date on RFID and privacy related issues, but they were unaware that the US is one of the last technologically advanced nations to allow the use of RFID tags on passports.
I would also not be inclined to follow the advice given to disable the chip: While that might be true, the amount of force you would probably need to disable the chip would also leave a mark on the passport itself that could be seen as a sign of tampering. Instead you could plan on also getting a passport wallet, and line it with aluminum foil to cut out the possibility of all but the closests scanners working on the tag inside. http://www.wired.com/news/privacy/0,1848,61264,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_1
59 months, 1 week, 13 days, 21 hours ago.
Federal agencies ban Windows Vista
(1 comment,
+10 / -1 votes
)
Not ranked yet
#1
This really isn't any different from any other time an new OS has been released.
These agencies are not saying "absolutely not" to using Vista or other Microsoft products, they are saying "let us check what we can afford to do right now, and see if there are some other alternatives that we might want to use instead, or decide how we are going to upgrade to use these new operating systems and applications in the future. That makes a lot of sense because they do not get a lot of money for computer upgrades each year, so have to be careful about planning for new technology. But you can be sure if and when a need comes in the future to work with these new programs, they will be in a position to adopt new machines and new OSes, including Microsoft products, but not necessarily limited to them.
59 months, 2 weeks, 18 hours ago.
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