New ID Scanners at Borders Raise Privacy Alarm

[Teresa Heilevang]

New ID Scanners at Borders Raise Privacy Alarm

By: Dave Eberhart  Article Font Size   

The federal government has already deployed new detection machines that can scan citizens without their knowledge from as far as 50 feet away and "read" their personal documents such as passports or driver's licenses.

The Homeland Security Department touts the high-tech devices as increasing security at border crossings, but privacy advocates are raising all sorts of red flags.

Critics say the new machines, which read one's personal information right through a wallet or purse, do so without consent or a warrant and may set a worrisome precedent.

The devices, called Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) machines, allow officials to read remotely any passports, pass cards, and driver's licenses that contain special chips with personal information.

The RFIDs are so sensitive that, even before a vehicle pulls up at a border checkpoint, agents already will have on their computer screen the personal data of the passengers, including each person's name, date of birth, nationality, passport or ID number, and even a digitized photo.

The new gadgets are in place, or soon will be, at five border crossings: Blaine, Wash.; Buffalo; Detroit; Nogales, Ariz.; and San Ysidro, Calif. They are slated to have a dramatically expanded presence in June.

Lee Tien of the Electronic Frontier Foundation argues that the technology could make Americans less secure because terrorists or other criminals may be able to steal the personal information off the ID cards remotely.

Tien and other critics warn that people up to no good can use their own RFID machines in a process called "skimming" to read the information from as far as 50 feet.

Indeed, consumer privacy expert Katherine Albrecht maintains that the chips create the "potential for a whole surveillance network to be set up." Among other abuses, she says police could use them to track criminals; abusive husbands could use the technology to find their wives; and stores could trail the shopping patterns of patrons.


Homeland Security, however, rebuts the criticism, arguing that the embedded chips surrender only a code to machine readers. That code is then broken in order to display the personal information on the border agents' screen.

Meanwhile, the same agencies that are issuing the newfangled IDs supply a sleeve that keep out all prying electronic eyes when not in use.






© 2008 Newsmax. All rights reserved

[ericire12]

WOW!

[Big Frank]

Do we all need to carry our ID in a lead box instead of our wallet? Orwell was off by a couple decades but Big Brother is watching you. I just put my drivers license in the microwave oven for a couple of seconds. Maybe it was long enough to scramble the information.

[bryand71]

(in German or Russian accent) Papers!, show me your Papers! Where are you going? I need to search your vehicle.


Have we learned nothing from the past? This is just old history using new technology. I think it might be time to start scouting out some backwoods country. 

[runstowin]

Surely this couldn't happen while Bush is president, he's a republican.

[Sponsor]

[tombogan03884]

(in German or Russian accent) Papers!, show me your Papers! Where are you going? I need to search your vehicle.


Have we learned nothing from the past? This is just old history using new technology. I think it might be time to start scouting out some backwoods country. 

Short answer, NO !
NH even with a Dem Gov refused to participate in RFID, our state supreme court ruled it unconstitutional, But when it goes into effect we may not be allowed to board aircraft.
So what, no one ever used a hijacked train in a suicide attack.

[warhawke]

One of the deciding factors in my move to Montana was the governor telling the Fed's to shove "Real ID"

For some good info on RFID;


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WY2WY96f654&feature=related
Why Mythbusters CANNOT do RFID shows


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmajlKJlT3U
How to hack rfid for $8.00


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0Maj1I6kH0
RFID - tracking everything (part 1 of 7)


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ArGIff9fprs&feature=related
What is RFID (political)


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNPDgudPmXE&feature=related
How RFID works (technical/political news story)
 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPqUUR5OFJg&feature=related
What is RFID (industry sales pitch)


Also you can read the book;
Spychips
by
Katherine Albrecht & Liz McIntyre
http://www.spychips.com/

[Rastus]

This also highlights the RealID initiative....part of which means any country anywhere can get your information (like the good and honest Nigerians).  Everyone will be in that database...except for Oklahoman's who have made it illegal to have driver's license pictures and the such of the resolution required for RealID to work (maybe a couple of other states).  Our vaunted leader of Homeland Security by golly said all would have it by...oh what was it, April this year? 

RealID board of directors....maybe a guy named Tenet...maybe another, sshhh, somebody is coming....

[Bidah]

Yes, we have a history here of telling the federals' to put it somewhere.  There were a number of states that were not complying.  The fed said that you had to file an extension or face their wrath.  They filed the extensions on behalf of a bunch of states, including Montana.  I believe that the current deadline is 2011.

-Bidah

[Big Frank]

Why don't we just line up and get RFID tagged like a bunch of livestock? We could have our ID in us instead of on us. It looks like we're headed in that direction.