Thursday, January 27, 2005

US to RFID tag visitors?

Silicom.com is reporting that, not satisfied with the introduction of biometrics, the US Department of Homeland Security has decided to trial RFID tags for tracking visitors to the US.

I can't find any confirmation of this, but if true, I guess it means I would no longer be willing to visit to US. Considering I currently visit the US two to four times a year, and have done for the last five years or so, and how inconvenient it's going to make things for me not to be able to go to the US, that's a pretty big decision. But there comes a point where you have to make a stand, for me this is it. I'll not be tagged and tracked for any reason, it's just offensive.

At least, I won't be tagged and tracked by a foreign government. With the introduction of identity cards and biometric passports to the UK I soon might not have a choice about such things at home. Perhaps it's time to think about emigrating, if I can find anywhere left to go...

Update: The rumours would seem to be confirmed at this point. The statement that "...it will be impossible to track the whereabouts of someone holding such a passive tag without a corresponding reading device", doesn't reassure me for obvious reasons.

4 comments:

  1. You could always move to one of the colonies. I hear Canada's nice. =)

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  2. I was thinking of of the colonies actually, but New Zealand sounds like a much better idea at this stage. It's about as far away from the US and UK as you can get...

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  3. Anonymous9:05 am

    well rfid doesn't stop at visitors:

    passports and rfid

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  4. Yup I noticed, and it looks like the Department of Homeland Security also noticed that their idea wasn't too popular.

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