Calif. Bill Allows RFID in More IDs

[ConfuZed]

By Mary Catherine O'Connor

June 24, 2005—After a series of meetings with representatives of The High-Tech Trust Coalition, an RFID industry group that opposes California's proposed Identity Information Protection Act, Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) revised the bill that he originally authored. The revisions to the act, known as Senate Bill (SB) 682, would allow the use of RFID technology in some identification documents issued by the state or local governments if specific security controls are applied to the RFID chip used in the documents to safeguard it from being surreptitiously read. However, because the act still prohibits the use of RFID (what it calls contactless integrated circuits) in driver's licenses, student IDs, government health and benefit cards and public library cards, the industry coalition is still voicing strong opposition to the act.

Simitian introduced the bill to the state senate in February, and it was approved by a vote of 29 to 7 on May 16 (see Calif. Senate Approves RFID Bill). It was then sent on to the state assembly for a June 21 hearing. Last week, however, Simitian introduced an amended version of the bill, and the chairman of the state assembly's judiciary committee asked for more time to review it. The hearing by the entire assembly has since been rescheduled for July 28.

The coalition that prompted the bill’s revisions says that by using protective measures such as data encryption and mutual authentication between the document and reader (also known as an interrogator), identity documents would be more protected from tampering, forgery and ID theft than they would be without using RFID. The senator asserts, however, that the protective measures thus far developed for contactless ICs would need to be proven more widely...<More>

http://www1.rfidjournal.com/article/view/1686/

[catnhatnh]

1. A little more stealth here Folks....

Unlike Nazi Germany, no one will ever stop you to ask, "You have papers,yes???" OUR stormtroopers (Whoops-"Homeland Security) will KNOW!

[AndyTiedye]

2. Keep those RFIDs in a Nice, Safe, Faraday Cage

Metal wallets are starting to come into style:



More on Faraday cages and RFID:

http://www.rsasecurity.com/rsalabs/node.asp?id=2120

http://news.com.com/5208-1039-0.html?forumID=1&threadID=1979&messageID=10280&start=-1

http://www.engadget.com/entry/1234000110044957/

[not fooled]

3. going into currency???

Is it true that the fascists are planning to insert these things into ALL US currency? Nice way to try to monitor all cash-based economic transactions. If anyone has any links to info about this nefarious plan, please post.

Of course, the wealthy usually don't handle currency, so of couse only the proles would be tracked. IRS linkup no doubt. Another way to transfer the tax burden to the workers.