DISQUS

Technology Liberation Front: The Technology Liberation Front » Archive » State Department Tech? Only When it Serves Us . . .

  • lippard · 3 years ago
    The proposal argues that this has the same benefits as (for example) a SpeedPass for toll roads, that it will enable multiple persons crossing the border to be checked rapidly and be on their way. It says the reader can read up to eight cards in one vehicle simultaneously.

    Note that the number does not correspond to your passport number, it is "a unique reference ID" that corresponds to your passport data in State Department/Customs databases. Presumably the verifier at the border will see photographs and other information about each cardholder as the scanner detects them.
  • Jim Harper · 3 years ago
    Yes, but the verifier has to compare the photograph to the person. This is what causes the transaction to take time. Transmitting the identifier by radio doesn't speed that time-consuming comparison up.

    Let's say you're going to read a book to your kids at bedtime. You could use the paper version of Curious George, which cost $9.95, or the electronic version, which sends the text via WiFi from your computer to a special screen that you read from. It's $29.95.

    Which would you use? The paper version, of course, because the relevant part of the bedtime-story experience is the reading of the story, not the transmission of the text to the medium from which it is read.

  • Nancy · 3 years ago
    Yes, but what will they do to ensure that the person is not using a fake ID? Many people and illegal immigrants get around this law with a fake ID, you must take this into consideration.

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    Nancy7585@mail.com
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  • lippard · 3 years ago
    I agree that the verifier making the comparison is still going to take time, but as someone who has crossed the U.S./Mexico border many times, I'm not sure I agree that the process of digging out IDs and handing them to the immigration officials is a negligible component of that time. I think there's a plausible case to be made that it would improve efficiency.

    Nancy's point is also a good one--there would be less need to validate the credential in the possession of the individuals crossing the border with the RFID tag version, as the comparison is between the biometric data on file with the issuer and the person attempting to pass, rather than between a card that person holds and the person. The latter is a lot easier to forge than the former.

    What are the risks that this creates? It wouldn't be hard for someone to find out your reference ID number, it wouldn't be too hard to social engineer some basic identity information from you to correlate with that reference ID, and it would be possible to do some movement tracking if you had enough readers. Most of those risks could be eliminated with an RF-screening sleeve for the card.

    I see this as much less problematic than the RFID tag on the standard passport, which contains the actual personal information.
  • torrie wilson in a thong · 2 years ago
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  • torrie wilson in a thong · 2 years ago
    torrie wilson in a thong

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  • torrie wilson in a thong · 2 years ago
    torrie wilson in a thong

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  • Sten50709 · 2 years ago
    I just don't have anything to say. Not that it matters. Eh. I've just been staying at home doing nothing, but I don't care. That's how it is.
  • Sten67047 · 2 years ago
    I feel like an empty room, but eh. Nothing seems worth doing. I haven't gotten much done today.
  • Sten2972 · 2 years ago
    My life's been basically bland today. More or less nothing seems worth thinking about. My mind is like an empty room. I've more or less been doing nothing to speak of. Not much on my mind recently.
  • Sten37966 · 2 years ago
    My life's been basically bland today. More or less nothing seems worth thinking about. My mind is like an empty room. I've more or less been doing nothing to speak of. Not much on my mind recently.
  • Sten59063 · 2 years ago
    I haven't been up to much lately. I've basically been doing nothing , but it's not important. I can't be bothered with anything recently. I've just been letting everything happen without me lately.
  • Sten9558 · 2 years ago
    I haven't been up to anything today. I can't be bothered with anything recently. Nothing seems worth thinking about. I haven't gotten anything done recently, but oh well. Not much noteworthy going on worth mentioning.
  • Sten45232 · 2 years ago
    My life's been pretty dull recently. Shrug. My mind is like a void. I haven't gotten anything done lately. I can't be bothered with anything recently.
  • Sten98867 · 2 years ago
    I haven't been up to much today. I've just been letting everything happen without me. Basically nothing seems worth bothering with. I've just been hanging out doing nothing. I just don't have anything to say right now. More or less nothing happening.
  • Sten45423 · 2 years ago
    I've just been staying at home waiting for something to happen. Whatever. Not much on my mind lately. I guess it doesn't bother me.
  • Sten23070 · 2 years ago
    I've just been staying at home waiting for something to happen, but I don't care. Basically nothing seems worth thinking about. I can't be bothered with anything recently.
  • Sten38081 · 2 years ago
    I feel like a complete blank, but I don't care. Pfft. I've pretty much been doing nothing worth mentioning.
  • Sten38688 · 2 years ago
    I haven't been up to much lately. I've basically been doing nothing , but it's not important. I can't be bothered with anything recently. I've just been letting everything happen without me lately.
  • Sten69418 · 2 years ago
    Not much on my mind these days, but what can I say? It's not important. I just don't have much to say lately. I've just been letting everything pass me by recently, but eh.