The Antenna in the Passport

There are some discussions about the RFID chip and biometric passport but i havent seen many talking and gossip about the antenna in the new passports..
I recently had a discussion with a friend and he said that his "old" passport had an antenna [i think it was the new one but his had a crack on it] and that it was about 4/5 meters long.He cut the passport open with a scissor..The old passports already had some sort of a spiral/circle of iron or some sort of material but i dont think those already had an antenna..Still though whats the idea? to scan your biometric chip from a couple of meters when going through customs authorities or is it already a gps mark to track citizens from a fast distance?
We already know that its impossible to go to the US without the "new" passport, maybe only with a visa

www.davidicke.com...



[edit on 2-9-2009 by Foppezao]

reply to post by Foppezao

rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. . . . can you say "microwave oven?"

1) The passport is not a GPS. That would be impossible, as it has no power source and therefore could not broadcast its position.

2) The passport contains a RFID chip. This is (arguably) an anti-counterfeiting measure, because although it is easy to spoof a RFID chip, using a device which scans the chip, and then transmits the same signal the chip would when it detects a RFID reader, it is too complicated to manufacture a custom RFID chip that would fit inside a counterfeit passport.

3) RFID is an effective way to increase the security of conventional documents and magnetic-stripe cards, but is not secure on its own. A system based on say, turnstile like devices with readers in them could be easily tricked with a pocket-sized electronic device.

4) You can destroy the RFID chip by cutting the antenna or crushing the chip. You can also microwave it, but it will visibly damage your passport. I suggest simply keeping your passport in a RFID-blocking jacket (The government now recommends this, by the way) and not using it except when explicitly required. There are more important battles to be fought.

I just got my first passport today, and just out of curiosity I tossed it in the microwave...after 5 seconds was this huge white burst of electricity!! Holy S*@t...what did I just do??

There is plenty of energy floating around. From radio waves to cell phone towers putting out energy. There is enough energy that could be captured in order for a very small device to run. That would include a micro transmitter.

reply to post by cloakndagger

you can now see on the back of the passport a 2" x 4" rectangle outline that has melted. seems to be in between the layer of the back of the passport.