more on more on on RFIDs in passports

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

------ Forwarded Message
From: Russell Nelson <nelson () crynwr com>
Date: Thu, 21 Apr 2005 10:25:56 -0400
To: <dave () farber net>
Cc: "Jonathan S. Shapiro" <shap () eros-os org>
Subject: Re: [IP] more on on RFIDs in passports

[ for IP ]

> From: "Jonathan S. Shapiro" <shap () eros-os org>

> So: how does you average bear determine whether their passport is valid
> before heading off to the airport?

You don't.  When you get to the airport, if your RFID fails to read,
they write, in permanent marker, "Invalid after (6 weeks after the
date of your return to the US)".

The real objection remains: how do you create a chip which everyone
who you DO want to read it gets to read it, but nobody you DON'T want
to read it can read it, and which does not require any action on your
part.  There is no solution to this problem; thus RFIDs cannot be made
to work securely.

Let me reiterate: these goals are contradictory.  RFIDs will make
passports less secure; thus the reason for requiring them cannot be
security.

-- 
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