RFID

In case it wasn't already clear, there's no such thing as 'dystopia', only mundane reality. (From: http://www.libertysblog.com/2006/02/rfid.html which looks like a generic right-wing libertarian spleensite, found through a search for 'citywatch' after reading a garbled account in an Italian newspaper. Does anyone know what 'doning' is? Incidentally reproduction of this text should under no circumstances be mistaken for endorsement of the use of 'access' as a verb.)

A security company is requiring that employees have an RFID tag inserted into their body. 'Two employees have been injected with RFID chips this week as part of a new requirement to access their company's datacenter. Cincinnati-based surveillance company CityWatcher.com created the policy with the hopes of increasing security in the datacenter where video surveillance tapes are stored. In the past, employees accessed the room with an RFID tag which hung from their keychains , however under new regulations an implantable, glass encapsulated RFID tag from VeriChip must be injected into the bicep to gain access, a release from spychips.com said on Thursday. Although the company does not require the microchips be implanted to maintain employment, anyone without one will not be able to access the datacenter, according to a Register article.' I'm not sure that I would want anyone sticking these things into me, but from a security standpoint it doesn't make a lot of sense. RFID devices are just a numeric tag. If the ID number can be read they can be doned [sic] and sure enough instructions for doning can be found here [link on original site, which seems not to be susceptible to copying]. Apparently, Citywatch wasn't aware of this issue, I would have a hard time trusting this company with any real security. It doesn't look to me to [sic] that they think things out very well.