BTC Files Comments With U.S. State Department

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

------ Forwarded Message
From: Esther Dyson <edyson () edventure com>
Date: Sun, 03 Apr 2005 17:08:26 -0400
To: <dave () farber net>
Subject: Fwd: BTC Files Comments With U.S. State Department

not from your standard left-wing bleeding-heart alarmist think tank!

Esther



> PRESS RELEASE
>
>
> For Immediate Release
>
>
> U.S. State Department Proposal to Place Americans In Harm's Way
>
> BTC files comments with State Department; directly petitions Secretary
> Rice; alerts Congressional Committee Leaders
>
> RADNOR, PA., April 3, 2005-The Business Travel Coalition (BTC) today filed
> comments with the U.S. State Department on behalf of government and
> private-sector organizations concerned that Americans would be required to
> have radio frequency identification (RFID) chips embedded in their passports.
>
> BTC also wrote directly to Secretary Condoleezza Rice urging her to heed
> the concerns of experts and abandon further consideration of a deeply
> flawed policy. Nuclear engineers, security experts, intelligence officers,
> privacy advocates, academics, scientists and business travelers are among
> the 40 organizations and individuals who provided comments via BTC to the
> Department. (See BTC letter to Secretary Rice and Department filing at
> <http://btcweb.biz/rfid.pdf>http://btcweb.biz/rfid.pdf.)
>
> The Department's proposal would put Americans traveling abroad at risk of
> identity theft and physical harm. The chips would be able to be read by
> anyone with a powerful reader from up to 60 feet away in airports, hotels
> or anywhere a business traveler might frequent. Terrorists, criminals and
> kidnappers would be able to easily identify Americans from other foreign
> nationals.
>
> BTC chairman Kevin Mitchell wrote to Secretary Rice, "On the prudent
> advice of your organization, American business travelers have taken steps
> when traveling abroad to maintain a low profile. While most U.S. citizens
> do not expect their government to protect them while traveling in foreign
> lands, they do not expect to have their government knowingly put them in
> harm's way."
>
> The Coalition today also brought its concerns to the attention of the
> Chairmen and Ranking Members of the House Committee on Appropriations,
> House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, Senate Committee on
> Appropriations and Senate Committee on Commerce, Science & Transportation.
>
> ###
>
> CONTACT Kevin Mitchell | 610.341.1850 |
> <mailto:mitchell () btcweb biz>mitchell () btcweb biz.
>
>
> Founded in 1994, the mission of the Business Travel Coalition is to lower
> the long-term cost structure of business travel. BTC seeks to bring
> transparency to industry and government policies and practices so that
> customers can influence issues of strategic importance to them.
>
> <mailto:btcmitchell () yahoo com?subject=Unsubscribe>Please unsubscribe me
> from the BTC email list.



Esther Dyson              Always make new mistakes!
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