State Department Tech? Only When it Serves Us . . .

The State Department has a notice of proposed rulemaking out on the “card format passport.” They are laying the groundwork for a card-style passport Americans would use when they travel to Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean.

What’s special about it?: “Vicinity read technology would allow the passport card data to be read at a distance of up to 20 feet from the reader.” That’s right: a promiscuous RFID chip would make your serial number widely available to whomever with a reader might want to know your whereabouts. (The system would not put personal data beyond this identifier on the card.)

If you have concerns about it, the comment period lasts until December 18, 2006. You can e-mail— wait, there’s no e-mail address.

Instead, it says, “Comments by Internet are to be sent to http://www.regulations.gov/index.cfm.” So you must go there and search for the Federal Register notice and submit your comment— wait, they are not accepting comments online either.

This Agency does NOT accept electronic comments for this Federal Register document. You must print out this comment and submit it to the agency by any method identified in the Federal Register document for the rule you are commenting on. The agency’s contact information will also appear on the printed comment form. Your comment will not be considered until this agency receives it. For further information, follow directions in the specific Federal Register document or contact the specific agency directly.

That’s right. The State Department is proposing to put RFID-chipped passport-lite documents in our hands – an ill-considered technological leap forward – without using basic, proven technologies to make its actions open to public participation or criticism.

So, after the jump, a six-step instruction guide for sharing your thoughts about RFID-chipped ID cards with the apparently indifferent State Department:

• 1) Go here: http://www.regulations.gov/fdmspublic/component/main.
• 2) Enter “passport” in the search box and hit “submit.”
• 3) In the line that says “Card Format Passport; Changes to Passport Fee Schedule,” click on the “add comments” bubble.
• 4) Fill out the form and comment.
• 5) Hit “Print Preview”
• 6) Hit Print, then mail to the address on the form.

And here are two bonus steps:

• 7) Send a copy to your Member of Congress.
• 8) Send this information to anyone who know who may be interested.

Once you’re finished, rest assured: Your State Department will once again work for you, rather than on you.

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