Last summer I got a new passport in preparation for my trip to Jamaica. Embedded in that new passport was an RFID chip containing an unspecified amount of data about me and my passport. I’m not a total paranoid freak but I’d read a bit about RFID and how easy it is for unauthorized people to read their contents. So, I’d purchased a passport jacket that contains mesh that will prevent just such a thing from happening. A few folks I know had looked at me with that “you’re a little off, aren’t you?” look when I explained the heavy-duty envelope for my passport.
Well, not the US State Department is recommending that folks purchase such a jacket since a recent report has pointed out how easily they are read. Don’t worry though. According to the State Department “hackers won’t find any practical use for data skimmed from RFID chips” but who am I to trust them now?
Of course, you could always disable the chip but that wouldn’t exactly be legal.
