"For the record, I want to emphasize that I have no desire to be tracked by any means without my knowledge. I am well aware that everyone who carries a mobile phone in the country, including me, is already tracked via the telephone's built-in Global Positioning System (GPS) transmitting its coordinates to wireless providers. In fact, as of March of this year, every new mobile phone is required by law to support GPS. This information is provided to the government for 911 calls in order to save lives. Can it also be used to catch bad-guys? Absolutely! Is it being used to track when Mom goes to the grocery store? I doubt it. Could some over-reaching law enforcement official use your cell phone's GPS to track you? You bet. My stance is that RFID technology can be responsibly used to improve people's lives.
In February of 2004, I led a team that performed one of the first evaluations of RFID technology in passports for the US-VISIT program. If you followed the press back then, my claim may come as a surprise, but the short of is: a big company contracted another big company that hired my little company to tackle the technical tasks. Since we are well past the expiration of the non-disclosure agreement, I believe it is in the industry's best interest for me to publicly share the findings so people understand how the RFID works for this form of people tracking.
Our objectives were simple:
Evaluate the use of passive Ultra High Frequency (UHF) RFID technology in passports. Readers from four different manufacturers were tested. Six different types of tags were tested. All were selected based on a 2"x3" size limitation requirement - the tag had to fit into the current passport form factor.
The walking tests were performed in a 14 x 30 foot area with 3 turn-style walking lanes, each 3 feet wide. The average number of pages in a passport is 12, plus the cover. The RFID tag was inserted on the first page of the passport.
Test cases included multiple passports held by one person in a "stack" configuration, passports held by different people, and a passport held close to the body or in a pocket.
The results:
•A passport held close to the body or in a pocket could not be read.
•At the maximum effective tag-to-antenna angle (~75?), the maximum read range was 7 feet. The graph below shows the read pattern.
Driving Tests
One goal of these tests was to check the viability of reading passports from a car, for possible use in expedited border-crossing lanes between the U.S. and Canada or Mexico. It was conjectured that a citizen might hold their passport up to their car window to keep traffic flowing. What is helpful for us here is to find out when these passports cannot be read casually.
For the driving tests, we rented a drag strip. Tests were performed on an open track using multiple types of automobiles.
The results:
•The best performing tag (Matrics, now Symbol) read 100% at up to 35 mph and 50% at 55mph when the passports were held at the door?s side window.
•The passport on the car seat was not read, due to the car acting as a shield.
•The single passport on the dash board was able to be read with 50% accuracy at 10, 20 and 35 miles per hour, and 25% accuracy at 55 miles per hour."
Taken from: http://www.rfidsb.com/rfid-street-your- ... sults.html
Have a look at it for pictures graphs and more info.
I just recieved my new UK passport and i saw this little microchip on the back page, and i was like NO FUCKK GPS!!
Ethier this is a coverup for the government tracking you, or these tests put my mind at ease.
this is what the new passport looks like:
In February of 2004, I led a team that performed one of the first evaluations of RFID technology in passports for the US-VISIT program. If you followed the press back then, my claim may come as a surprise, but the short of is: a big company contracted another big company that hired my little company to tackle the technical tasks. Since we are well past the expiration of the non-disclosure agreement, I believe it is in the industry's best interest for me to publicly share the findings so people understand how the RFID works for this form of people tracking.
Our objectives were simple:
Evaluate the use of passive Ultra High Frequency (UHF) RFID technology in passports. Readers from four different manufacturers were tested. Six different types of tags were tested. All were selected based on a 2"x3" size limitation requirement - the tag had to fit into the current passport form factor.
The walking tests were performed in a 14 x 30 foot area with 3 turn-style walking lanes, each 3 feet wide. The average number of pages in a passport is 12, plus the cover. The RFID tag was inserted on the first page of the passport.
Test cases included multiple passports held by one person in a "stack" configuration, passports held by different people, and a passport held close to the body or in a pocket.
The results:
•A passport held close to the body or in a pocket could not be read.
•At the maximum effective tag-to-antenna angle (~75?), the maximum read range was 7 feet. The graph below shows the read pattern.
Driving Tests
One goal of these tests was to check the viability of reading passports from a car, for possible use in expedited border-crossing lanes between the U.S. and Canada or Mexico. It was conjectured that a citizen might hold their passport up to their car window to keep traffic flowing. What is helpful for us here is to find out when these passports cannot be read casually.
For the driving tests, we rented a drag strip. Tests were performed on an open track using multiple types of automobiles.
The results:
•The best performing tag (Matrics, now Symbol) read 100% at up to 35 mph and 50% at 55mph when the passports were held at the door?s side window.
•The passport on the car seat was not read, due to the car acting as a shield.
•The single passport on the dash board was able to be read with 50% accuracy at 10, 20 and 35 miles per hour, and 25% accuracy at 55 miles per hour."
Taken from: http://www.rfidsb.com/rfid-street-your- ... sults.html
Have a look at it for pictures graphs and more info.
I just recieved my new UK passport and i saw this little microchip on the back page, and i was like NO FUCKK GPS!!
Ethier this is a coverup for the government tracking you, or these tests put my mind at ease.
this is what the new passport looks like:
