84 Days

Until I get married, that is.
On a related note, my new passport arrived yesterday. It’s evidently filled with science in the form of RFID. The page with all the personal information and photograph is not on the inside of the front cover, but rather on the first page inside the cover.
What’s the big deal with RFID anyway? Don’t all the passports get scanned by an optical reader which then queries some huge database of worldwide passport holders so the Customs guy can verify what’s printed in the booklet? How does adding short-range wireless to the passport speed things up at all? The guy still needs to hold it in his hand? Does the extra second needed to run it through the optical reader slow things down too much?
At least I don’t look like too much of a chump in the photo…

7 thoughts on “84 Days”

  1. well, the cool thing about them is that you now don’t even need to get your hands on them to clone them. watch this video.

    maybe you should get one of those silver envelopes that they ship EZ passes in.

  2. hammer meet rfid chip…. rfid chip meet hammer…. not saying to do it or that I did it cause that would be illegal… but an almost open rfid chip with all the information that is needed for stealing your id…

    1. Richard: I’d think a microwave would be more useful at killing the chip.
      Even so, I’m not terribly worried about it. I’d like to see how effective the RFID passport is before I consider disabling the chip.

  3. The RFID opens the possibility of the data being stolen while you walk past some dude sitting at a cafe with his laptop. Said data could be used to forge a passport bearing your name, or as part of some more violent and immediate activity.
    Skip smashing or microwaving the passport and just snag an RFID Blocking Passport Billfold.
    http://www.thinkgeek.com/gadgets/security/910f/

    1. Stew: Evidently the passport covers are shielded already. I haven’t tested this, but I’ll have to test it. The more I read about it, the less I worry.

  4. If the passport cover is shielded, then there really isn’t any reason for short range wireless, because then they can’t scan someone walking through a turnstile without flashing the pass.
    A second less at passport control doesn’t make any sense.

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