Re: [privacy] Feds Leapfrog RFID Privacy Study

["Dude VanWinkle" <dudevanwinkle () gmail com>]

On 10/30/06, Richard M. Smith <rms () computerbytesman com> wrote:
> http://www.wired.com/news/technology/1,72019-0.html
>
>
>
> By Ryan Singel
> 02:00 AM Oct, 30, 2006
>
>
> The story seems simple enough. An outside privacy and security advisory
> committee to the Department of Homeland Security penned a tough report
> concluding the government should not use chips that can be read remotely in
> identification documents. But the report remains stuck in draft mode, even
> as new identification cards with the chips are being announced.
>
> Jim Harper, a Cato Institute fellow who serves on the committee and who
> recently published a book on identification called Identity Crisis, thinks
> he knows why the Department of Homeland Security Data Privacy and Integrity
> Advisory Committee report on the use of Radio Frequency Identification
> devices for human identification (.pdf) never made it out of the draft
> stage.
>
> "The powers that be took a good run at deep-sixing this report," Harper
> said. "There's such a strongly held consensus among industry and DHS that
> RFID is the way to go that getting people off of that and getting them to
> examine the technology is very hard to do."
>
> RFID chips, which either have a battery or use the radio waves from a reader
> to send information, are widely used in tracking inventory or for highway
> toll payment systems.
>
> But critics argue that hackers can skim information off the chips and that
> the chips can be used to track individuals. Hackers have also been able to
> clone some chips, such as those used for payment cards and building
> security, as well as passports.
>
> The draft report concludes that "RFID appears to offer little benefit when
> compared to the consequences it brings for privacy and data integrity" -- a
> finding that was widely criticized by RFID industry officials when the
> committee met in June.


Why would we even ask RFID industry officials what they think? I guess
we know who is behind keeping this schlock in our legislative process

-JP
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