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Drifting Toward a Surveillance Society

Big Brother, aka the US Department of Homeland Security, is testing the use of RFID surveillance tags for those visiting the US from abroad. According to silicon.com:

The trials will start at a "simulated port" in the spring and will then be extended to Nogales East and Nogales West in Arizona; Alexandria Bay in New York; and Pacific Highway and Peace Arch in Washington by the end of July.

The testing phase will continue until the spring of next year. The exact way RFID will be used with the travellers is not yet known.

RFID chips will be used to track both pedestrians and vehicles entering the US to automatically record when the visitors arrive and leave in the country.

Many are worried that the government sees this as a first step to keeping track of all its citizens with RFID chips in the future.

I can't imagine what they're worried about. Considering the bang-up job they've done recently with the safeguarding of the civil rights thing.

posted by Jane Hamsher @ 2/01/2005 10:52:00 AM