[extropy-chat] passports

[Amara Graps]

Those of you who need to renew your U.S. passport, or else
apply for a new one, might want to speed up your procedures.

This year, perhaps soon this Spring, the US State Department will
issue US passports with RFID chips, making the owners particularly
vulnerable to identity thieves, stalkers, and professional data
collectors.

Apparently these new measures smoothly passed through the
International Civil Aviation Association, and over objections from
Germany, Britain and other nations.

I wonder if US citizens are aware of what their passports will soon
carry? Given this new government stupidity, there are ways to
protect your personal data from eavesdroppers, and that is to wrap
your passport in aluminum foil. (Expect to see aluminum-wrapped
passport holders on the market soon.)

www.wired.com/news/privacy/0,1848,65412,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_1

Amara