Posted on 04/02/2005 7:09:49 PM PST by Founding Father
Little Brother may also be watching soon
By Lauren Cook
Published: Thursday, March 31, 2005
Crank up the "Twilight Zone" theme song and pull out your copy of George Orwell's "1984"; it looks like we're in for a meeting with Big Brother. According to a report released this past Tuesday, the Department of Homeland Security is starting to use "contactless chips."
Many people have never heard of these microchips. They're not magical floating potato chips or magnetic poker chips -- they're human tracking devices. Until recently, these "contactless chips" were called radio-frequency identification tags.
An RFID tag is a microchip attached to an antenna. This tag transmits information to a device that reads the information from a few inches to several feet away. They're currently being used in E-Z Pass automatic toll-paying devices and ski-lift tickets.
Department of Homeland Security will be issuing employee ID cards tagged with "contactless chips." These cards will include fingerprint records and other personal information of the employee. They plan for this process to speed up workers' access to secure areas.
The Department of Homeland Security does not want their ID cards to be related to RFID tags. They have called this technology "contactless chips" to avoid using the word radio-frequency identification tags. They're avoiding using the term "RFID" so the public won't be concerned about their use of this technology to track people.
Can you say doublespeak?
Homeland Security is evaluating pitches from several RFID tag manufacturers for an RFID-tagged passport containing biometric data.
It sounds pretty crazy, right? If the government employs this technology on our passports, they would be able to track all of our comings and goings with ease.
Not only would the government be able to track our movements, but also so would anyone else with a reader device. According to Barry Steinhardt, director of the American Civil Liberty Union's Technology and Liberty Program, these reader devices can be purchased for less than $500.
Take a moment and imagine what this all means.
Aside from the fact that the government can track us, this will make identity theft much easier. Because some of the chips can be read from up to 30 feet away, people can read your information without you even knowing.
Do we really want just anyone sitting in an airport to obtain all of our personal information including our own fingerprints?
The government calls this idea a new way to track terrorists and other criminals. The scary part of this concept is that it puts everyone in the same grab bag, regardless of guilt or innocence. People have all kinds of fears of being watched by the government. They feed off of conspiracy theories and drama. This could be looked at the same way. It could be, but it shouldn't.
This is yet another attempt to single out a few by placing the masses under surveillance.
Hmmmm..!
The cards issued during the test of the registered traveler program were smart cards, they had to be inserted in a reader. Then the reader compared either fingerprints or iris scans to the data on the card. I wonder if they are looking at something different now.
fond-thoughts-of-Costa-Rica alert.
Lemme get this straight, racial profiling of potential terrorists is wrong, but putting a Lojak on every citizen is okay. Is it me or does it seem as though the DoHS is smoking the crack from the DoJ evidence locker?
Smoking the crack of political correctness, to be sure.
I know it's going to take me several years to get used to carrying another card in my billfold. Maybe I never will.
for those who refuse to carry the card, you will not be able to buy even food or water and since the precedent has been set that it is not inhumane to deny such...
turn out the lights...
teeman
Many of us are already being tracked. If you are a totally benign citizen, don't worry. But if you are in say, international sales, to places like Jakarta, Macao, Hong Kong, etc, you can bet you are being watched and tracked. And not just by the US..
These people are so full of bs. It's just another way to trap us and make a lot of money doing it.
The author would do well to read up on the technology...
This is somewhat misleading. The tag is passive. It only "echoes" its ID when queried.
The Book of Revelation.
Yep.
Some wag once put tags "Big Brother is watching YOU!' on proximity sensors on autoflushing urinals. I always thought it was appropriate.
Probably the same crack that killed Rock Hudson. They can't see the light because their heads are impacted there.
Exactly. These devices CANNOT store information about fingerprints and things of that nature. They return an ID code. It is true a person could listen for your ID with a scanner, however, without access to the DHS database... it would do no good. I personally like the idea. I'm one for privacy and all, however coming and going of this country is not something that should be taken lightly. We NEED to fix the border problems, some of which include the time it takes to get back into the States, as well as holes along the border.
Founding Father wrote:
" and I, for one, got nothin' to hide so take away all my rights! "
I don't want to take away all your rights, just your paychecks! /sarc
Two words: slippery slope
Travel record/Week of: 04-1 thru 04-7 2005
Beer store
Home
Pizza store
Home
Work
Beer store
Home
Betty Joes House of Massage Therapy and Sports Bar
Beer Store
Home
Sons ball game
Beer store
Home all weekend
COMMENTS: Subject has continued this itinerary for over 36 months. Only diviation tried new beer store
not owned by Middle Easterner during Shock and AWE.
Seen drinking from Freerepublic coffee mug. Recomend Phone tap.
Kinda makes one think of Mark of the Beast, don't it?
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