Got Passport?

I just received my new passport. My old one expires in December and with a trip to India coming up in January, I wanted to apply for a new one in time to also get my Indian visa.

I was a bit nervous about the new passport as I had heard that RFID tags were being placed in some of the more recently issued passports. Whether due to incompetence or secrecy, the Department of State does not tell you which passport agencies are currently issuing passports with this new technology. I applied in Philadelphia and it doesn’t appear that I have a tag in mine. Yeah. I’m “safe” for another ten years when I have to re-apply.

The concern with RFID tags is that if a terrorist were to identify you by using even better technology than what our government can supply, they could potentially set off a remote bomb as you passed by with a passport that includes an RFID tag. Apparently, the tag can be read if the passport is open slightly, so making sure that it’s always closed (perhaps in a carrying case), should save you.

My concern is more about Big Brother than it is about terrorists. Paranoid-Beth thinks that the info imbedded in my passport will be used for purposes that I’m not aware of, kinda like tracking my purchases at Barnes and Noble or tracking what books I take out of the library.

Happy Travels!