US Government To Release Electronic Passport

XueCast writes "The federal government has announced that they will release new electronic Passport cards in either April or May 2008. The cards could be read wirelessly from up to 20 feet away, which could reduce the waiting time at border checkpoints. Deputy Assistant Secretary Of State For Passport Services, Ann Barrett said, "As people are approaching a port of inspection, they can show the card to the reader, and by the time they get to the inspector, all the information will have been verified and they can be waved on through.""

Awesome

[QuantumG]

Can't wait for this.. I can finally hack my way past border security, like in 24.

Re:Uses Standard RFID Technology.

[MillionthMonkey]

Tin foil billfolds and passport covers are already being sold

Joke's on you... DHS is forbidding passengers to carry more than one square inch of tinfoil through security, or more than three square inches in checked luggage, because it could be crumpled up and fashioned into a weapon.

I travel from Mexico regularly.....

[desertfool]

And this is a joke. I, and my family (Mexican wife and 'mixed' child) get waved through when we say "American" at the border. Now my wife is a naturalized citizen, but they take one look at me (white as can be) and we get one question before we are waived through.

As for an RFID solution, what makes that better than the 'instincts' of the Border Patrol? I think that could be faked so fast that a young male of middle eastern descent could could get through as an asian business person just because the border card said so. //Trolling, just for the fun of it. I have a lot of unearned karma....

Re:Wonderful.

[Anonymous Coward]

you dont need rfid to identify American Tourists abroad, they are pretty obvious anyway.

Hallelujah!!!

[moxley]

Thank the American God that they solved this problem, because those piece of shit regular passports barely fucking worked and were an accident waiting to happen..(and a fire danger)....

Seriously...with all their "paperness" and "non-electronicky" and all that.

Someone call Apple!

Re:No air travel?!

[Kagura]

Who cares about RFID, I just want my stamps that say where I've been. I don't want an electronic record that I can't look at. :)

Re:Awesome

[Anonymous Coward]

"Funny. You're the seventh Jack Bauer through here today. Oh well, the computer says you're OK, so go on in."

Re:Wonderful.

[The One and Only]

Just make a bomb that's triggered by chewing gum and obnoxious behavior?

Re:Awesome

[glittalogik]

Just make sure they don't see you going to the toilet, they already know that nothing escapes Jack Bauer.

Re:Ummm.

[roystgnr]

You seem to have reached that awkward transitional stage where you're smarter than the government, but not yet smart enough to realize that yes, you really are smarter than the government.

Don't panic. The transition doesn't take very long, and when it's complete you'll be amazed to discover how much else starts making sense too.

Re:Awesome

[kurt555gs]

<quote> Oh well, the computer says you're OK, so go on in </quote>

Or, in the alternative one could hack the card to say:

" All your base are belong to us "

leaving the border guard with a quizzical look on his face.

Cheers

Re:Awesome

[pcgabe]

You're Korben Dallas?

Re:Uses Standard RFID Technology.

[aussie_a]

Please forgive me for not realizing something that plausible was a joke.