U.S. Opposes Passport Privacy Protections (who would have Thunk it )

[Florida_Geek]

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/national/AP-Electronic-Passports.html?oref=login

ovember 28, 2004
U.S. Opposes Passport Privacy Protections
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Filed at 9:31 p.m. ET

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Bush administration opposed security measures for new microchip-equipped passports that privacy advocates contended were needed to prevent identity theft, government snooping or a terror attack, according to State Department documents released Friday.

The passports, scheduled to be issued by the end of 2005, could be read electronically from as far away as 30 feet, according to the American Civil Liberties Union, which obtained the documents under a Freedom of Information Act request.

Though the passports wouldn't include transmitters of their own, they would have antennas to allow a reader to capture the data.

The ability to read remotely, or ``skim,'' personal data raises the possibility that passport holders would be vulnerable to identity theft, the ACLU said. It also would allow government agents to find out covertly who was attending a political meeting or make it easier for terrorists to target Americans traveling abroad, the ACLU said.

.. more at AP

[koopie57]

1. did you ever just read something like this

and find yourself going hahhhahhhhhhhahhhahahhahhhhhaaaaaaaaahahhahah
? Or is it just me?

[Florida_Geek]

2. A lot of things the Bush ppl do leave me both laffing and crying at the

same time.

[koopie57]

5. thank you Florida

I'm hanging on my a thread tonight, and your kinds words make me feel like I'm not alone. I'll be okay if I get through tonight.

[w4rma]

3. Maybe I should renew my passport before this BS hits next year. (nt)

[VivaKerry]

12. I am thinking the same thing.

[CHIMO]

4. Just Think Of The Opportunities

Awaiting entrepreneurs. Shielded boxes for passports. Special, limited time only - create your chip of the person of your choice. Just think of the devices that can be sold to passport readers at airports. Every 6 months an update to eliminate the latest bug.
Gosh the potential is never ending.

[mitchtv]

6. my new tinfoil passport case

HA, try me

[Florida_Geek]

7. Sad part is we will be buying lead shielded passport cases

Just something more to carry around. Grrrrr.

[KoKo]

10. How about just wrapping it in some "tinfoil." Many of us here have extra

from our beanies we wear so often.

[Occulus]

15. Which 'they' will then outlaw.

"Circumvention of any monitoring device attatched to said identifation shall be a felony under the provisions of this Act;"

Oh, just wait for it.

And then, there will suddenly be invented a spiffy new oven film that replaces tinfoil and heats food better and tinfoil will suddenly disappear from the market.

Oh, I hate being paranoid.

[Ilsa]

8. This should freak out some of the fundies.

This kind of ID, and now not having it "protected," is another sign of the "mark of the beast" or sign of complicity with the anti-Christ, IIRC.

[__Inanna__]

9. I agree with you

about the fundies getting freaked out. BTW, what is IIRC? It'll be great when they realize (I hope they realize) that it's been * pushing for all these violations of privacy. I don't think that sits well with conservatives.

I haven't had a passport for years, but now I am thinking I need to hop on that asap. I threw out the last one (expired), and wonder if that will be an issue. All of this just smacks of CONTROL and a lock-down situation someday. Does anyone think things will get to the point where our borders will close? Would Mexico (northern) be far away enough to escape all of this?

[mama]

14. iirc = if i recall correctly n/t

[VivaKerry]

13. The fundies are non-travellers.

Jesus, I would really love to know the percentage of bush voters who DO have passports.

[VegasWolf]

11. If I read the article correctly, bushco is against encrypting the

data, thus allow surreptitious scanners in airports to steal
the information of anybody walking within 30 feet of it.
This looks like an open door for identity theft. Only
bushco could possibly be so stupid.

[Occulus]

16. Well, it's been said many times Bush = money

and some business owners would kill for devices that automatically scan, record, and collate data on every customer that even approaches the store.

Kee-RIST.