 | Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Issue 752 | | Will Smith, Editor |  |
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Editor's Note: Today's top story examines the controversial PASS Card program, which will give US citizens an RFID alternative to traditional passports for land and sea travel between the US, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Bermuda starting in late 2008. Critics say the RFID chips in the PASS Cards are insecure and pose a privacy risk, while the government says these concerns are misguided.
Sonitor Technologies is reporting a surge in demand for its ultrasound-based RTLS technology, particularly from the US healthcare market. The company indicates that 20 percent of its deployments replace existing RTLS systems that were found by their end users to offer unsatisfactory accuracy. Highly accurate locationing is one of the main selling points for Sonitor's technology, which the company says can offer "100 percent room, or sub-room-level, such as patient-bed, location accuracy."
Lastly, RFID and bar code printer manufacturer Printronix has announced that its acquisition by Vector Capital is complete. The $100-million-plus deal was announced in October (see RFID Printer Maker Printronix Acquired for $108M). |
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| Upcoming Events | - SCAN & RFID CHINA 2008, June 19-21, Guangzhou, China (site)  | | - 5th Annual DoD RFID Summit - Feb 26-27 - Arlington, VA (site) | | - RFID Smart Labels USA - Boston, MA - February 20-21, 2008 (site) | | - 2nd Annual Summit on Healthcare Supply Chain Management (site) | | - Global RFID ROI 2008, 29th - 30th January, Munich, Germany (site) | | - Asset Management Conference & Expo, Jan 22-23, Atlanta, GA (site) | | | Products & Services | | - Tag & SpyTM: NOX Surveillance by SimplyRFID (site) | | | RTLS & Active RFID | | 
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| | - Locate it now. How? Ekahau. That's how! (site) | | | Employment | | - RFID Recruiters - 100% Focused on RFID Recruiting (site) | | | Research & Whitepapers | | - RFID Marketing Strategies Report from RFID Update (site) | |
US Gov Sets Controversial RFID Passport Card Specs
The US Department of State last week published a Federal Register notice that sets its RFID passport card requirements, effective February 1 of this year. The new PASS Cards are an alternative to traditional passports and will contain an EPCglobal Gen2 standard UHF RFID chip intended to expedite border crossings. The cards are controversial because many feel the RFID chips lack enough security to safeguard identities and prevent cloning and other hacking.
The passport cards are being created as part of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) to expedite border crossings for US citizens entering the country by sea or land (not by plane) from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Bermuda. The PASS Cards are intended to give citizens who frequently cross the border for work or personal business a lower-cost option to traditional passports, sometimes called "passport books." The passport cards will be accepted at 39 points of entry that account for 95 percent of all US border crossings, Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Kelly Lundt told RFID Update. The contract to equip the locations will be put out for bid this month, and all facilities should be equipped and able to process RFID passport cards by the end of the year, according to Lundt.
PASS Cards will not provide all the same privileges as traditional passport books, and will use different, incompatible RFID technology than what is being used in the new e-passports. The cards will come with a protective sleeve to shield the chip from readers when the card is not in use.
At roadway border crossings there will be specially designated lanes with RFID readers set up to identify cardholders when they get within approximately 15 to 20 feet from the checkpoint. No personal identification will be encoded or transmitted using RFID. Instead, the readers will capture a unique ID number encoded in the RFID chip, which will trigger a database lookup of the cardholder's credentials. By the time the vehicle arrives at the checkpoint, the PC there should be displaying the cardholder's picture and necessary information. The border control agent will visually match the picture to the driver, review the card, and approve or detain the traveler as appropriate.
Many privacy advocates, technology experts, and individual citizens have objected to the proposed system. The State Department received more than 4,000 comments about the passport card proposal, most dealing with the choice of technology. A leading concern is the transmission of the unique ID number. Critics say the transmission is unencrypted and insecure, which could lead to IDs being captured and cloned by hackers. Proposed alternatives included using stronger encryption, holding passport cards to the same security standards as electronic passport books, and foregoing long-range UHF technology in favor of a contact-based system to limit the opportunity for interception.
Derwood Staeben, the US State Department's program manager for the WHTI, counters the concerns. "This is the key factor: there is no personal information on the RFID chip. There is nothing to skim," Staeben told RFID Update. "You could clone the chip, but to what purpose? Even if a hacker presents a cloned passport chip, the checkpoint computer screen is still going to display someone else's picture on it. The RFID chip doesn't replace the border control officer."
Randy Vanderhoof, executive director of the Smart Card Alliance, disagrees. "The argument has been made that 'It's just a number.' But the same thing could be said of your Social Security number or a credit card number. The number becomes meaningful when it's linked to an individual," Vanderhoof explained to RFID Update. "The passport card number is accessible to anyone with an RFID reader within 20 or 30 feet. They can figure out what car it came from, and then associate it to that license plate. It's not just about securing the number."
The Smart Card Alliance is an industry association that promotes smart card use, and has members that produce both contact and long-range RFID technology. It has provided information to the State Department and Department of Homeland Security since the card program was announced, according to Vanderhoof, and advocated that more secure contact-range RFID technology be used instead of long range Gen2.
The Center for Democracy and Technology submitted comments to the State Department that called the decision to use Gen2 "fatal." The Smart Card Alliance also submitted comments, and produced a white paper on the use and consequences of RFID border crossing documents.
The State Department said the passport cards don't need the same high level of security as the RFID chips in its electronic passports, which do store personal information. The Federal Register notice for passport card requirements notes the cards have a different "business model" than traditional passports, and thus different performance requirements.
The State Department's Staeben said the technology and procedures chosen for the PASS Cards are similar to those used in the FAST, NEXUS, and SENTRY programs, which have been running for several years to simplify border crossings for truck drivers and their vehicles. "RFID is not a new concept for credentials. This is the same technology we've been using since 1995," said Staeben, adding that there have been no known security breaches of the FAST, NEXUS, or SENTRY programs.
Four border states -- Arizona, New York, Vermont, and Washington -- are planning to offer drivers licenses with the same RFID technology as the PASS Card and have signed cooperative agreements with the Department of Homeland Security, according to Vanderhoof. He is concerned about the growing use of insecure RFID technology, and about potential confusion about what identification to present at borders, since citizens will have their choice of different passports and drivers licenses.
US citizens can apply for PASS Cards beginning February 1, 2008. The State Department has published a website with more information and downloadable application forms. The Smart Card Alliance and Center for Democracy and Technology also have more information and details about security and privacy concerns on their sites. This article from the Washington Post also provides a good summary of the program and its critics.
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| Upcoming Events | SCAN & RFID CHINA 2008, June 19-21, Guangzhou, China
As one of the earliest, most specialized and authoritative exhibitions in China, approved and supported directly from State Ministry, the 8th SCAN & RFID CHINA 2008 will present you the impressive up-dated development and market of RFID technology in rising China. To know more, please go to www.scan-china.com. | 5th Annual DoD RFID Summit - Feb 26-27 - Arlington, VA
If you conduct business with the Department of Defense (DoD), you need to be at the DoD RFID Summit to stay abreast of the latest technology developments and take advantage of the "roll-up-your-sleeves" RFID implementation guidance that will be delivered for DoD personnel and DoD suppliers! Register now at www.DoDRFIDsummit.com. | RFID Smart Labels USA - Boston, MA - February 20-21, 2008
RFID Smart Labels USA 2008; the seventh annual analyst-driven event covers the hot RFID sectors, full technology analysis and market insight. February 20-21, 2008, in Boston, MA. Visit www.IDTechEx.com/USA to find out more and register. | 2nd Annual Summit on Healthcare Supply Chain Management
The 2nd Annual World Congress Leadership Summit on Healthcare Supply Chain Management will present strategic solutions to the challenges of accelerating financial returns, containing costs, implementing information technology, streamlining supply chain management processes and controlling physician preference items. Visit: www.worldcongress.com/supplychain | Global RFID ROI 2008, 29th - 30th January, Munich, Germany
Taking place 29th and 30th January, Global RFID ROI 2008 is bringing together the leading RFID practitioners from a broad cross section of industries that will give you the opportunity of discovering the real ROI behind RFID implementation. View the full programme at http://www.rfid-roi.com/downloadpdfx2.asp and to register, please call 0044 207 202 7558. | Asset Management Conference & Expo, Jan 22-23, Atlanta, GA
How much control do you have over your assets? Failure to manage assets can result in underuse, misplaced items, poor maintenance, increased operational costs, legal liabilities, and financial reporting errors. Attend the Expo and learn to increase asset visibility & life-cycle management, implement process & operational improvement, and explore the newest technologies. www.AssetExpo.com. | | | Products & Services | Tag & SpyTM: NOX Surveillance by SimplyRFID
Find out "Who Took It" and "Where It Is Now" with our "Stealth to Catch the Stealthy" RFID Surveillance systems. Alerts direct to your cell phone. Unprecedented accuracy and court-usable identification. Protect valuable equipment and documents! From the people trusted by more than 2,000 DoD (Department of Defense) Suppliers. Visit: www.SimplyRFID.com | | | RTLS & Active RFID | Locate it now. How? Ekahau. That's how!
Ekahau RTLS (Real-Time Location System) automatically tracks assets and people via your existing Wi-Fi network. Control costs and improve asset management with Ekahau. For more information, visit us at www.ekahau.com. | | | Employment | RFID Recruiters - 100% Focused on RFID Recruiting
Whether your company is looking for the best RFID talent or you have the best RFID talent and are looking for the best RFID employer, RFID Recruiters offers the most focused approach to your objective. To learn how the RFID industry and the RFID job market are evolving, visit www.rfidrecruiters.com | | | Research & Whitepapers | RFID Marketing Strategies Report from RFID Update
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