This should be interesting. If China didn't take some serious precautions when implementing RFID for their tickets, we should be hearing any day now about people who remotely cloned someone else's ticket and got into the game denying access to the others. Or, since passport information is stored on the ticket as well, someone with a scanner can find anyone from a given country should they wish to target someone based on their nationality. Let's see what happens. (H/T to slashdot for the link) Tags: RFID

Lovely.

Customers in shopping centres are having their every move tracked by a new type of surveillance that listens in on the whisperings of their mobile phones.

The main point here is that business are highly interested in knowing everything they possibly can about you. The more then know, the more they can manipulate. Just wait until everything we're carrying has an RFID chip in it. That will make their jobs so much easier. (H/T to slashdot for the link) Tags: RFID

As part of a social experiment, attendees at a hacker conference in July will be issued badges with electronic tracking devices. Large displays will show in real-time where people go, with whom they associate, for how long and how often.

Hopefully after seeing how easy it is to tag and track someone with RFID, people will become more aware of what a dangerous technology this could be if we don't pass strong privacy regulations to prevent their misuse. (H/T to slashdot for the link) Tags: RFID

Well flipping duh.

Most newly issued passports carry an embedded RFID containing digitally signed biometric information. Access to this chip is wireless, which introduces a security risk, the possibility that an attacker might be able to access data on a person’s passport without the owner knowing.

It's this reason that putting RFID in passports was such a stupid idea to begin with. Put wireless into any system that protects private information and watch the world come crashing down around you. I'm not saying that it's impossible to secure a system using wireless, but it takes a whole hell of a lot more effort that was put into the passports system. Anyway, now that someone has proven this is viable, those fears that someone can just scan a crowd and find the Americans to target have been entirely validated. Tags: Passports, RFID

In what was a colossally stupid decision, the US put RFID chips in passports. Oh wait, this article is about the outsourcing! Right. In what was another colossally stupid decision, the US is now outsourcing the production of RFID passports. Tags: Passports, RFID

A university has hacked the encryption of an RFID chip maker who’s contactless smartcard applications include fare collection, loyalty cards, and access control cards. Tags: RFID

Washington state passed an anti-RFID law that’s unfortunately far weaker than it should be.

The Washington legislation outlaws the use of RFID “spy technologies” to collect consumer information without the owner’s consent. The only problem is, heavy corporate lobbying narrowed the scope of the law (before Governor Gregoire signed it) to cover only criminal acts such as fraud, identity theft, or “some other illegal purpose” (making it a Class C felony to do so). Collecting information from consumer RFID chips for marketing purposes in Washington—with or without the owner’s consent or even knowledge—is still fair game.

Oh well. I suppose it’s a start. Tags: RFID, Washington State

Caspian just released a paper documenting the research showing the causal link between RFID implants and cancer in lab animals. The reason they issued this report is because of the recent news press about the issue. They wrote and issued this report because "a lot of misinformation about the cancer research has circulated since [the original cancer research] was published". Damage control by Verichip perhaps?

In almost all cases, the malignant tumors, typically sarcomas, arose at the site of the implants and grew to surround and fully encase the devices.

That's not subtle is it? Neither is this:

Either VeriChip and the makers of HomeAgain actually don't understand the difference between a benign fibroma and a malignant fibrosarcoma," noted Dr. Albrecht, "or they're deliberately lying to the public. Either way, it's clear they can't be trusted. We hope our new report will set the record straight.

Check out the "Recent Industry Misstatements about Implant-Cancer Research" section near the bottom of the page for specific examples of lies/ignorance told by chip makers and CASPIAN's factual rebuttals. Tags: RFID, Verichip

Nothing like treating people like animals to be tagged and tracked. Of course, it's much easier to start by tracking kids because they don't have much choice in the matter and when they grow up, they'll be less resistant to the practice. Enter surveillance society… But let's not get ahead of ourselves. They portray the tests as successful, but as Bruce Schneier points out, "So now it's easy to cut class; just ask someone to carry your shirt around the building while you're elsewhere." Or how about, "it's easy to get someone you hate in trouble by wearing their uniform for a few minutes while vandalizing the teacher's lounge." Or "We had no idea that constantly bombarding students with radio frequencies in closed spaces during their formative years would lead to these kinds of mutations! Mrs. Johnson, you can't honestly expect us to pay to have Timmy's third arm removed can you?" I love how companies start implementing RFID without any thought to the consequences. Tags: Kids, RFID

Because Walmart isn't addressing the privacy concerns with rfid, I can't help but cheer when I hear their efforts to get RFID into all their products has failed.

Wal-Mart's change of plan demonstrates the need for retailers and suppliers alike to tread carefully with RFID. As retailers such as Best Buy have observed, widespread adoption is still years, not months, away. At the same time, some of the greatest benefits may not be in applications first thought to be ripe for the technology, such as automating distribution centers. Instead, retailers are finding early gains closer to the sales floor, where they are using RFID to track consumer buying patterns and ensure products are on shelves in time for promotions.

It used to be that Walmart's market power was so high that they could force anything they wanted, but I guess that's starting to slip a little. (H/T to slashdot for the link) Tags: RFID