[karajorma]

On top of that there is a question of just who will be able to access just what on an ID card. Can your life insurance company access your health details? What about your car insurance company? What about social security? Your employer?

What is shocking about the ID cards is not that those companies can access those details. It's that the government hasn't even seen fit to answer those questions. We don't need to know the answers. It will all be sorted out magically by the time the cards come into play.

[aldo_14]

On top of that there is a question of just who will be able to access just what on an ID card. Can your life insurance company access your health details? What about your car insurance company? What about social security? Your employer?

What is shocking about the ID cards is not that those companies can access those details. It's that the government hasn't even seen fit to answer those questions. We don't need to know the answers. It will all be sorted out magically by the time the cards come into play.

The answer of course, being how much they overspend by and need to recoup via charging for access.

[Unknown Target]

I don't care what the reprucissions would be. I would snap mine in half and burn it. I will never carry around something like this.

[redsniper]

I remember seeing somewhere a way to make an RFID frier. I'll see if I can find it.

[aldo_14]

I remember seeing somewhere a way to make an RFID frier. I'll see if I can find it.

Microwave?

Actually, don't high-denomination US$ and Euro notes now have RFID chips in them?

[karajorma]

Well you could always point one at the US Treasury and find out

[Wild Fragaria]

dunno, we are so used to id cards in italy that it's hard to understand the problem for us.
we have the standard id card, which is valid for all the ue, the passport (necessary only outside ue), 2 health cards (european and italian), driving patent (which worked as valid id document till few years ago), one to be entitled to vote, a facultative card with the fiscal code...not to mention all the id cards to access to private services which are, at least, your choice. Our identities are registered by so many public entities (not to mention all the private ones)....
well I have to admit that on the other hand we in Italy don't have the same religious approach to civil rights (unfourtunately)...
as an example we have for some more than 60 milions people many times the telephon interceptions by public forces than the whole US...

It sounds like you have a awful lot of cards in your wallet.

[aldo_14]

Well you could always point one at the US Treasury and find out

http://www.prisonplanet.com/022904rfidtagsexplode.html

Obv. not an entirely unbiased source, but if anyone has some cash and a microwave.........

[kasperl]

I've got the cash in my wallet, and the microwave in the room next to me, but I'd rather not risk it the money. Unless someone paypals me 50 euros or so....

Seriously, though, frying the RFID won't help you anything, it would probably just get you arrested.

[karajorma]

It does mean that with a suitable EMP weapon you could fry all the paper money in the US and EU (apart from UK and other non Euro using nations) though.

[Taristin]

I'm surprised we don't have it already, really. I'da thought Good old dick and george'd been the first to do this.

EDIT: The ID cards... not the money tracking. That surprises me none.

[Martinus]

I just had a scary thought:
I've gotten a list of the banknote sequences and I'm sitting across the room from you with a laptop. I activate a RFID scanner and pick up that you have 10 banknotes in your wallet and possibly their value. The guy sitting beside me has 5 and a lady a few seats away has 6.
You become my primary target as the 'best value' mugging.

Real world now:
With a few linux based apps I can already sit a few feet away and drag all of the mobile numbers, photos and recordings off your phone via bluetooth. I can make calls, send txt's and rewrite any data not hardcoded into your phone.
Anonymously.
Now this only works with a very few phones and it relies on your bluetooth being switched on but a new proof of concept program has been devised that allows you to attack any B'tooth phone due to the security being lax.

What happens when we can read data straight off your medical card to find where you live, steal your identity for credit fraud in another country, rewrite your medication... ?

[WMCoolmon]

So...who can I write to try and keep this from happening in the US?

[Grug]

Scary indeed.

I guess we need a guy in a big white mask to save us...

[Flipside]

Meh? Guy Fawkes, the action hero?! :/

Guy Fawkes was a weasly little stoat of a man, his wish to blow up Parliament was based on racism and greed, he wanted to 'Blow the Scots back to Scotland'. In many ways the young Parliament was the only thing stopping the King from being a lot worse (Though it is claimed that deliberate dithering and misdirection on the part of Parliament for political gain was what first allowed the Protestant/Catholic horror to take place in Ireland - long story).

Oh well, looks bloody hilarious, some guy in a Guy Fawkes outfit vs The Government LOL

[Grug]

Is there a DVD version of that story?
Or do I have to read some more.

I wish I had discovery channel sometimes...

[Grug]

So...who can I write to try and keep this from happening in the US?

I'd say your federal government would be the trick but send it to every government station up the chain.

If your serious though dude, I am very awe'd and applaud you vigorously.
I tire of people just arguing about stuff on the net, yet not taking any action to resolve the problem in the real world.

you've inspired me too. I'm going to email some government officials and ask for more information on the situation and my outviews on it thus far.

[Flipside]

Well, basically, the king was at odds with Parliament, he was a Protestant, but his wife was Catholic, and the King strongly believed in the return to the 'King as Deity' form of ruling. The King had to call parliament to raise money to go to War, that had been the way of things for about 200 years, but Parliament did not always agree with the King, so he was loathe to call sessions unless vital.
Parliament, however, angry at the King for taking a Catholic wife worked actively against them, effectively co-ercing the king to arrest and execute one of his own Lords (who happened to be in Northern Ireland). To cut things short, Parliaments dithering in giving the King money to defend against the Catholic Armies rampaging across Europe, coupled with NI's Catholic populations own fear of oppression (Aided and egged on by people sent by the Vatican) rose in rebellion. The official start of the War was the Slaughter and drowning of Protestants by Catholics near the River where the Orangemen now march, over 500 years ago. That's one of the official versions, though I suspect the whole truth goes much much farther.

Basically it was scared people being scared. I'll see if I can find you a link.

Edit : http://www.globalexchange.org/countries/europe/ireland/historytimeline.html

Note : This is a very contentious issue, I severely doubt you will find two people or even 2 articles that agree entirely on the causes

[KARMA]

dunno, we are so used to id cards in italy that it's hard to understand the problem for us.
we have the standard id card, which is valid for all the ue, the passport (necessary only outside ue), 2 health cards (european and italian), driving patent (which worked as valid id document till few years ago), one to be entitled to vote, a facultative card with the fiscal code...not to mention all the id cards to access to private services which are, at least, your choice. Our identities are registered by so many public entities (not to mention all the private ones)....
well I have to admit that on the other hand we in Italy don't have the same religious approach to civil rights (unfourtunately)...
as an example we have for some more than 60 milions people many times the telephon interceptions by public forces than the whole US...

It sounds like you have a awful lot of cards in your wallet.

indeed

btw I got the point, I agree that it may sound scary to have all those infos stored with a  not completely secure system but isn't it probably  the future to have some id system with all our important infos at once?. Something like minority report. I don't say it's necessary a nice future, I just say that it make sense.

[aldo_14]

dunno, we are so used to id cards in italy that it's hard to understand the problem for us.
we have the standard id card, which is valid for all the ue, the passport (necessary only outside ue), 2 health cards (european and italian), driving patent (which worked as valid id document till few years ago), one to be entitled to vote, a facultative card with the fiscal code...not to mention all the id cards to access to private services which are, at least, your choice. Our identities are registered by so many public entities (not to mention all the private ones)....
well I have to admit that on the other hand we in Italy don't have the same religious approach to civil rights (unfourtunately)...
as an example we have for some more than 60 milions people many times the telephon interceptions by public forces than the whole US...

It sounds like you have a awful lot of cards in your wallet.

indeed

btw I got the point, I agree that it may sound scary to have all those infos stored with a not completely secure system but isn't it probably the future to have some id system with all our important infos at once?. Something like minority report. I don't say it's necessary a nice future, I just say that it make sense.

It's only the future if we allow it.......