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Are there RFID chips in your pocket?
The year 2006 has been an exciting one in the RFID industry. Credit and debit card issuers issued a large number of cards which you do not need to take out of your wallet to pay for small transactions. Employers are realizing the benefit of RFID enabled ID's. The United States, along with a number of other countries, began issuing passports that have an embedded RFID chip.
How do you know if there is an RFID chip in your pocket? Scroll down to the appropriate section below. If you can answer yes to any of the questions, there is a good chance that you are carrying around a spy chip.
- Passport
- Credit Card, ATM Card, or Debit Card
- Employee Identification or Student ID
- Mass Transit Card
Passport
- Does you passport have this logo on the front or back cover?
- Are you a citizen of Australia, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Singapore, Slovenia, Sweden, UK, or the USA and received your new passport after October, 2006?
- Did the paperwork you received with your passport mention an e-passport?
Credit Card, ATM Card, or Debit Card
- If your card is a MasterCard, do you see the PayPass® logo in it?
- If your card is a Visa, do you see the contactless® logo on it?
- Do you have an American Express Blue®, Blue Cash®, Blue Sky®, Clear®, or Starwood Preferred Guest® card?
- Have you ever paid for something with your card by simply waving it in front of a checkout card reader, without swiping?
Employee Identification or Student ID
- Can you unlock doors at your company simply by waving your card and not swiping it?
Mass Transit Card
- Can you pay your fare by simply waving your wallet in front of a reader or terminal?
If you answered "yes" to any of the questions above, it is very likely that you are carrying around an RFID chip. The only question remains is how comfortable are you with the possibility that your private data can be read at a distance, and possibly without your knowledge?