"There's a reason you don't wear your Social Security number across your T-shirt," Albrecht says, "and beaming out your new, national RFID number in a 30-foot radius would be far worse."

There are no federal laws against the surreptitious skimming of Americans' RFID numbers, so it won't be long before people seek to profit from this, says Bruce Schneier, an author and chief security officer at BT, the British telecommunications operator.

Data brokers that compile computer dossiers on millions of individuals from public records, credit applications and other sources "will certainly maintain databases of RFID numbers and associated people," he says. "They'd do a disservice to their stockholders if they didn't."

Or put simply, everyone knows that this is scary beyond reason and we need to do something now BEFORE it's a problem.

Here is some more information from the source article:

In its October 2005 Federal Register notice, the State Department reassured Americans that the e-passport's chip — the ISO 14443 tag — would emit radio waves only within a 4-inch radius, making it tougher to hack.

Technologists in Israel and England, however, soon found otherwise. In May 2006, at the University of Tel Aviv, researchers cobbled together $110 worth of parts from hobbyists kits and directly skimmed an encrypted tag from several feet away. At the University of Cambridge, a student showed that a transmission between an e-passport and a legitimate reader could be intercepted from 160 feet.

The article also mentions a video that shows the results of his experiment. I was able to find it HERE.

===================================================

For Immediate Release
February 3, 2009

Dog Bleeds to Death After "Routine" Microchip Implant Procedure
Grieving owner calls for an end to mandatory microchipping in Los
Angeles

A fluffy bundle of life, love, and enthusiasm named Charlie Brown was
laid to rest last week, the victim of a microchip implant gone horribly
wrong. The long-haired, purebred Chihuahua bled to death in the arms of
his distraught owners, Lori and Ed Ginsberg of Agua Dulce, California,
just hours after undergoing the controversial chipping procedure.

"I wasn't in favor of getting Charlie chipped, but it was the law," said
Lori Ginsberg, citing a Los Angeles county ordinance that requires all
dog owners to chip their dogs once they reach four months of age. Dog
owners who refuse to comply face a $250 fine for the first offense and
up to six months in jail for continued non-compliance. "This technology
is supposedly so great until it's your animal that dies," she said. "I
can't believe Charlie is gone. I'm just beside myself."

Dr. Reid Loken, the board certified veterinarian who performed the
chipping, confirmed on Friday that Charlie died from blood loss
associated with the microchip. He cited "an extreme amount of bleeding"
from the "little hole in the skin where the [microchip implant] needle
went in" as the cause of death. He said he was both saddened and puzzled
by Charlie's death.

"I just don't know what happened to him. We put the chip in the back in
the shoulder blades, the standard place where we put them, and there
really aren't any major blood vessels in that area," he said. "I don't
think it went in too deep; it was a pretty routine chipping."

Dr. Loken suspected the needle may have nicked the muscle around the
scapula, causing blood to ooze from the muscle. However, his efforts to
stem the bleeding with pressure bandages were unsuccessful. The bleeding
could not be attributed to a congenital clotting problem, he said, since
Charlie had undergone a neutering and tooth extraction without incident
just weeks before.

Charlie's owners were devastated by the loss. "Charlie loved to play and
cuddle. He brought so much joy and life to our home," said Lori. "We
loved him and took such good care of him. He meant everything to us."

The Ginsbergs were quick to absolve Dr. Loken of responsibility for
Charlie's death. "He's a great vet and this was not his fault. The real
blame is with the people who forced us to implant our dog against our
better judgment," they said.

The Ginsbergs plan to petition the Los Angeles County Board of
Supervisors to repeal the mandatory chipping law, and have sought the
help of prominent consumer privacy advocate Dr. Katherine Albrecht.
Albrecht is a Harvard-trained researcher who has authored a definitive
academic paper citing literature that links microchips with cancer in
dogs as well as laboratory animals. She has also authored an exhaustive,
47-page FAQ on microchip implants.

Albrecht cites other adverse reactions stemming from microchips in the
past. In one case, a struggling kitten died instantly when a microchip
was accidentally injected into its brain stem. In another, a cat was
paralyzed when an implant entered its spinal column. The implants have
been widely reported to migrate within animals' bodies, and can cause
abscesses and infection. In at least two documented cases, dogs have
developed cancerous tumors surrounding or adjacent to microchip
implants.

"Tragedies like what happened to Charlie Brown are probably more common
than we like to think," said Albrecht. "But it takes courageous people
like the Ginsbergs to come forward and talk about it."

Albrecht and the Ginsbergs are calling for a repeal of all mandatory
animal chipping laws nationwide, and for the creation of a national
registry to document adverse reactions from the chipping procedure.

"It's horrible to live in a country where your choices are being take
away and you don't get to make decisions about your family and your life
anymore," said Lori Ginsberg. "Politicians should not take away my right
to do what I thought was best for my pet."

For The Media:
Lori and Ed Ginsberg have agreed to speak to the media to help raise
awareness of the dangers of pet chipping. They can be contacted at:
CharlieBrownMemorial@yahoo.com

Pictures of adorable Charlie Brown are available for press and blogging
use at:

http://www.katherinealbrecht.com/images/stories/charlie%20brown%

20003.jpg

http://www.katherinealbrecht.com/images/stories/charlie%20brown%

20004.jpg

http://www.katherinealbrecht.com/images/stories/charlie%20brown%20for%

20first%20christmas%20003.jpg

http://www.katherinealbrecht.com/images/stories/charlie%20brown%20for%

20first%20christmas%20005.jpg

Dr. Katherine Albrecht can be contacted at kma@spychips.com or (877)
287-5854, ext 1.
Her microchip implant FAQ and cancer study can be found online at
www.antichips.com
Further information about Dr. Albrecht can be found at
www.katherinealbrecht.com

Information on the Los Angeles Country chipping ordinance can be found
at:

http://www.laanimalservices.com/PDF/medical/lacounty_ordinance.pdf

Live Radio Interview Today
The Ginsbergs will be joining Dr. Katherine Albrecht on her live,
syndicated radio program today to discuss microchip implants and
Charlie's tragic death. The segment will air from 4:00-6:00 PM Eastern
time on "The Dr. Katherine Albrecht Show." The show broadcasts daily on
the Genesis Communications Network, and can be heard live at:
http://gcnlive.com/Listen_Live.html (Click "Stream 2")

The Ginsberg interview will be archived as a downloadable MP3 file on
Dr. Albrecht's website at:
http://www.katherinealbrecht.com (Click "archives")

# # #

=====================================================================
ABOUT CASPIAN

CASPIAN (Consumers Against Supermarket Privacy Invasion and Numbering) is a grass-roots consumer group fighting retail surveillance schemes since 1999 and irresponsible RFID use since 2002. With thousands of members in all 50 U.S. states and over 30 countries worldwide, CASPIAN seeks to educate consumers about marketing strategies that invade their
privacy and encourage privacy-conscious shopping habits across the retail spectrum.

http://www.spychips.com/

http://www.antichips.com/

http://www.nocards.org/

You're welcome to duplicate and distribute this message to others who
may find it of interest.

=====================================================================

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Using inexpensive off-the-shelf components, an information security expert has built a mobile platform that can clone large numbers of the unique electronic identifiers used in US passport cards and next generation drivers licenses.

The $250 proof-of-concept device – which researcher Chris Paget built in his spare time – operates out of his vehicle and contains everything needed to sniff and then clone RFID, or radio frequency identification, tags. During a recent 20-minute drive in downtown San Francisco, it successfully copied the RFID tags of two passport cards without the knowledge of their owners.

So he cheaply proved that you can not only clone RFID passports, but you can do it secretly, at great distance, while moving.

Wouldn't it be nice if they thought about the security risks BEFORE putting a wireless chip in the passports?

The Hacker's Choice, a non-commercial group of computer security experts, has released a video showing a cloned passport being approved by a security scanner at a Dutch airport. When the reader scans the passport it is revealed to belong to one Elvis Aaron Presley, complete with picture.

RFID is not ready. Every country that has tried to use it for identification has failed and miserable.

(H/T to Slashdot for the link)

The optional license will include a picture and radio frequency identification tag that can be scanned to verify a person's identity. The tag will not contain any personal information – only an assigned number, authorities said.

How reassuring. So they won't be able to take my data from it, but they'll be able to clone it and frame me or just use the unique ID to track me remotely. But they're going to be passing out sleeves that prevent it from being read remotely without your authorization. So if you don't find it bulky and actaully use it, you'll be partially protected until it's time to pull it out to be read or if someone gets a few seconds alone with your wallet to pull it out and clone it.

(H/T to Slashdot for the link)

If they mean that you can't make one of these chips copy the data from another of these chips, I can see that as being possible, but what difference does that make in the end if I can use a different brand chip to open your secure door or travel the world in your name?

Here is a mini summary of some of the major points:

• Companies intend to replace barcodes with RFID
• Unlike barcodes which identify a product type (i.e. a can of soda), RFID will identify an INDIVIDUAL product (i.e. can of coke #48377625376)
• RFID tags can be read secretly from long distances (30 or more feet).
• RFID tags in licenses have minimal security (and even passports that have more security have been hacked already many times)
• IBM filed a patent that was granted in 2006 for a system of scanners at “shopping malls, airports, train stations, bus stations, elevators, trains, airplanes, restrooms, sports arenas, libraries, theaters, [and] mu­­se­­ums ? to track the movements of people by their RFID tags
• Alton Towers (an English amusement park) issues RFID wristbands to visitors and tracks their movements through the park. While they use it to create a keepsake "where you went" map for their customers, they prove that the system works in practice

RFID misuse has been one of my top issues for a long time and it's important that everyone realize the danger they pose and support preemptive legislation to prevent RFID privacy invasion.

(H/T to Slashdot for the link)

From their press release:

The report reveals how news outlets like Time Magazine, Business Week, and the RFID Journal were used as unwitting pawns in a VeriChip scheme to spread misinformation about the cancer studies. Since research linking the product to cancer first surfaced last year, each of these publications has repeated misstatements from VeriChip company executives, in many cases printing the inaccurate statements verbatim and unchallenged.

Good thing non-profit companies are watching or else this sort of skulduggery would go unnoticed.