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For just $30 extra, New York state residents can opt for a new Enhanced Driver's License (EDL), complete with RFID chip. But why would you want to shill out that extra coin on top of the $50 you already have to pay for a normal license? The selling point is that the radio frequency identification chip in the EDL allows a humble state ID to act as a passport of sorts. It can be scanned by authorities to identify US citizens entering the state from Canada, Mexico, or the Caribbean...though we're not sure exactly how you're supposed to get into those countries in the first place without an actual passport. What about privacy and security concerns? Oh, don't worry; the government has measures in place. More »
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Security researcher Nate Lawson has found that the California Bay Area's FasTrak toll transponders have some significant privacy problems. The RFID devices are designed to receive and transmit data to allow for stop-free tollways, but Lawson's research found that someone with the right know-how and an RFID reader could walk around a parking lot and steal IDs from the transponders in parked cars. The stolen IDs could then be written to another transponder, allowing the thief to charge their tolls to the account of the unsuspecting victim, giving the hackers a free ride. But what is perhaps more unsettling is the ability to completely wipe information off victims' transponders, since the units support unauthenticated over-the-air upgrading. More »
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There has been a lot of talk about the new initiative to start including RFID chips in national identification cards or even in state-issued drivers licenses. Earlier in December four states — New York, Arizona, Washington and Vermont — agreed to begin using the Real ID RFID system in driver's licenses. Basically, it is a chip stored in the DL and anyone with proper equipment can find out any and all information about your DL by just being within a 30-foot radius. Sound a little intimidating? Some of us may, but well, I don't think it is. More »
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The Danish City of Grenå is doing something about all of the bicycle accidents occurring at busy intersections. The city will be installing See-Mi. See-Mi consists of 300 RFID sensors that will be installed into residents' bicycles and special RFID-sensing traffic lights at seven busy intersections. These traffic lights will know when a cyclist is approaching and activate a light warning the drivers at the intersection. More »
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A Canadian company is touting its RFID solution to vehicle tracking as superior to plate-reading cameras. Instead of a passel of plate-reading cameras, they're suggesting a network of sensors throughout Southern BC, allowing authorities to track cars in real time with GPS coordinates. Some call it smart. We think either solution should be shelved. Besides, if you were a real criminal, wouldn't you simply take a cordless drill to the license plate and bore through the chip? – Davey G. Johnson More »
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