Interesting article on RFID passports. I figured it would take about a month to come up with a simple way to forge these new documents, but it looks like it took even less time than that.

What is hilarious about these e-passports is that the participating governments couldn't agree on a way to encrypt the RFID information, so they simply went ahead with an unencrypted system. Now a spy or crook doesn't even have to steal you bag to rob you of your passport.

What always blows my mind is the fact that so much money is being poored into creating the new and better passport while virtually looks for other solutions.

Wouldn't it be easier to share lists of lost and stolen passports with neighboring countries and promising to intercept them when they pop up? The U.S., Australia and New Zealand are experimenting with such a system, but no one else is even looking into the idea. Sure, it wouldn't stop complete forgeries, but it would definitely cut back on bum passports.

Posted by: Robot Economist at August 7, 2006 09:59 PM

Interesting article on RFID passports. I figured it would take about a month to come up with a simple way to forge these new documents, but it looks like it took even less time than that.

What is hilarious about these e-passports is that the participating governments couldn't agree on a way to encrypt the RFID information, so they simply went ahead with an unencrypted system. Now a spy or crook doesn't even have to steal you bag to rob you of your passport.

What always blows my mind is the fact that so much money is being poored into creating the new and better passport while virtually looks for other solutions.

Wouldn't it be easier to share lists of lost and stolen passports with neighboring countries and promising to intercept them when they pop up? The U.S., Australia and New Zealand are experimenting with such a system, but no one else is even looking into the idea. Sure, it wouldn't stop complete forgeries, but it would definitely cut back on bum passports.

Posted by: Robot Economist at August 7, 2006 08:26 PM

WHAT ABOUT THE STRAGEIC IMPLICATIONS OF THE ALASKAN OIL PIPE LINE SHUT DOWN?

All of it brought on by BP [British petroleum] with a profit last year of 13 billion dollars not mantaining their pipe line.

also a quick fix is not possible. Network news tonight failed to disclose they can do nothing untill the winter sets in. You can not drive trucks on Tundra! You must wait until the earth freezes and the snow falls, so you can build the ice roads to bring in new pipe and the heavy equipment needed to do the work.

Then when the spring comes you leave no foot print and the thundra is as you have never been there. This is the way with all alaskan oil exploration now and in the future. It must be done when the air outside is a nice balmy 30 below

Posted by: davids at August 7, 2006 05:54 PM

A mixture between terrorist and highly sophisticated guerilla unit, being used to holt territory ... does that really surprise?

Are the israeli officers ignorant?

The Tamil Tigers are exactly this kind of force since early 90's afaik.

Again, lessens to be learned with wide-angle view in the real world and history had to be learned with the blood of young soldiers.

If the IDF was really surprised, it's just another piece for an argument that the IDF isn't nearly as professional as its 1967/73 wars established.
Mr. van creveld sees a deterioration of the IDF beginning in 1982 with the first Lebanon invasion...24 years in the past...hey, we do we consider them as a super army at all?
They never won against other foes than Arabs, and their last brilliant ground war successes are 33 years in the past, the last brilliant air operations 20+ years in the past.

Posted by: Sven Ortmann at August 7, 2006 05:20 PM

You could have found a better link for that overblown Reuters faked smoke story than Michelle Malkin. My browser nearly puked.

Posted by: WG at August 7, 2006 12:03 PM