[wordup] Speaking of Terror Bubbles....

[Adam Shand]

Bruce Sterling speaks ... his tongue certainly hasn't gotten any  
duller with age. ;-)

Adam.

From: http://wiredblogs.tripod.com/sterling/index.blog?entry_id=1378949

Tuesday, 3 January 2006
Speaking of Terror Bubbles....

radio-trackable arphids are going into American passports this year  
no matter who says otherwise.

 From SANS:

--DHS to Test RFID Passport Technology at San Francisco Airport (30  
December 2005)
Beginning in approximately two weeks, the US Department of Homeland  
Security (DHS) will be testing radio frequency identification (RFID)  
chip-embedded passport technology at San Francisco International  
Airport.

Singapore, Australia and New Zealand have begun issuing citizens  
passports with the technology. The US Department of State has said  
that all US passports issued after October 2006 will have embedded  
RFID technology that will carry personal data and a digital photograph.

Last fall, DHS conducted a three-month test of RFID-embedded  
passports in Los Angeles through the US-VISIT program. In addition,  
the DHS has "installed biometric entry facilities at all fixed points  
of entry."

http://www.techweb.com/wire/ebiz/175800140
http://www.fcw.com/article91831-12-30-05-Web

[Editor's Note (Boekman): The Government should be extremely thorough  
in how they test the security of RFID technology, and pay attention  
to the results. If they get this wrong initially, it will be  
extremely difficult and expensive to retrofit something that is  
already deployed.]

(((It won't be "extremely difficult and expensive" because the DHS  
will just ignore the hazards and the failures. Losing New Orleans was  
extremely difficult and expensive, too. but, you know, so what.)))