

Critics decry the design's increased range










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My only question
By FITCamaro on 1/4/2008 10:15:30 AM , Rating: 5
Why increase the range? Isn't it a good thing that the old ones were normally only readable up to a few inches away? I would prefer it that way.

I'm all for RFID passports to make things quicker and more secure. But they really shouldn't make it readable up to 20 feet away. It should be a few inches so you have to say touch the passport to a sensor that reads the data.


RE: My only question
By tdawg on 1/4/2008 11:07:37 AM , Rating: 2
I can't see why they'd increase the range so drastically either. If you have to open them up to have them read by the RFID machine, then they can't just be relying on some sort of area grid covering an entryway to scan all people coming down a hallway. Imagine the software trying to track everybody at once, when one or more international flights come in and hundreds of people are going through the system at once. Not to mention trying to physically find the one passport holder in the crowd that raised a red flag?

Why couldn't they just leave the range as small as it was, setup more reader stations and have people flow through the queues? We have to do it for security checkpoints and this doesn't require TSA x-ray techs to monitor it all. If it's so seamless, people won't really have to stop, they'll just pass by the machine and swipe their passport.

RE: My only question
By Alexstarfire on 1/4/2008 11:51:16 AM , Rating: 2
Because that'd help the passenger. I thought everyone figured out that they were trying to find ways to slow us down and make it more of a hassle. 20-ft is way too big an area. All it takes is 1 person with a 3rd party/hacked reader in an airport to get the personal information of hundreds, potentially thousands of people in a matter of minutes.

RE: My only question
By Polynikes on 1/4/2008 12:32:41 PM , Rating: 3
I agree, but I'd just rather not have one of these at all. It doesn't take long to flip open a paper one and put the first page under a scanner. If anything it'll take a couple seconds more, which you have plenty of to waste when getting interviewed at customs.

RE: My only question


RE: My only question
By Screwballl on 1/5/2008 1:16:43 AM , Rating: 2
now they just need to combine this with facial and eye recognition so someone isn't using someone else's Passport

RE: My only question
By MatthiasF on 1/6/2008 2:40:45 PM , Rating: 2
I agree, the range provides a sinister opportunity.

Maybe they could make a kill switch? Like a soft button (a spot on the passport you press) that you have to hold in for the RFID to respond to a scanner?

Least it would limit the abuse to specific areas if you had to do something on your part for the RFID to respond.


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