Matthew J. Hunt
PandemicFluOnline.com

Because I am a part of the “anti-vaccine movement”, I am sensitive to the constant flow of headlines surrounding this whole media-hyped H1N1/Swine Flu pandemic scare. Lately, though, a few headlines grabbed my attention in a different way. These alternative media stories were about alleged “RFID tracking devices” which are supposedly going to be used to “tag” people who have been given the H1N1 vaccine. Accordingly, if one does not have such a tag (in a “wristband” format), he or she would be “caught” at a government run roadblock or checkpoint and be forced to succumb to the vaccine… or very bad things would happen to them.

I will to attempt to put all of this RFID tracking information – as it is being fed to us online – into some kind of perspective – a perspective that doesn’t refute nor deny that it could be real, but does look at the feasibility of the “what if” scenarios. It should be an interesting ride. So, buckle-up, don your tinfoil hat and let’s begin!

  

In the last couple of weeks, a video of a woman claiming to be involved in “drills” (one presumes military or police “drills”), has made rounds on the internet and via email. Anti-vaccine websites and activist websites (yes, even this one) linked to the video and helped it to reach a minor “viral” level. To put it plainly, this video is pretty difficult to swallow. It’s not that I believe the woman is a liar or she is involved in some anti-anti-vaccine conspiracy or anything like that. If we are to take the information actually conveyed in the video with little or no supporting evidence, it quickly becomes hard to believe for the average Joe. There just isn’t enough data in the video to be able to form an opinion of the truthfulness of the message.

Since then, YouTube.com informs us that the video has been removed by the user. Luckily, YouTube users aren’t shy about copying, redistributing, or reposting videos created by someone else. Not only that, the person in the video told everyone to feel free to do so. Fortunately, I have a link to a copy of the video in its entirety here:

If you took the time to watch the video, you’ll understand why I’m tackling this RFID topic. One of the big claims the person in the video makes is in regard to the “shackles” or wristbands that people will be forced to wear. She states, “… uh, it’s actually a bracelet that you have to put on your right hand and it’s somehow pinned into your hand and it’s meant to stay there… forever… and it tells them that you’ve taken the swine flu vaccine… and if you don’t have a bracelet, you’ll be given the opportunity at the checkpoint to take the swine flu vaccine and if you don’t take it, you’ll be boarded onto a bus to a concentration camp.”

That’s a serious claim. We’ve heard this before from other sources. (Again, I am not disputing if these claims are true or not. I’m just trying to pull together information to discern a true picture of what is going on.) It doesn’t take much for this idea to conjure horrific images from our past… images of other identifiers meant to “stay there… forever”.

Back in July, former Kansas State Trooper Greg Evensen made very similar claims while speaking to a group. That video is also available on YouTube.com. Evensen, in his answer to a question from the audience, said, “… Now having said that, there are also plans that will ensure that you do not freely travel nor will you be able to really go anywhere without proof that you’ve had the vaccination at the point that the government mandates that certain levels of the population take the inoculation. When that happens, I have been told by State Troopers across the country that there are plans ready to be implemented that would include roadblocks and ‘choke points’, as we call them – major interstate junctions – around major cities and so forth where the greatest number of people can be held until they are either – they either prove their vaccination by papers or in the case of a medical specialist in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, told me that they had observed a semi tractor-trailer being unloaded at the hospital loading dock – pallets and pallets, scores of cases of metal bracelets that once put on, would slip into a place and, and be either uh, pegged in there with some kind of, uh, device to hold it in place… but the band was meant to be permanent. On top is a chip. That chip will include all kinds of information about you – the fact that you had been inoculated. Now this is one of several plans. It has not yet seen the light of day… but it is there. It is in readiness.”

This second video clip provides us with a better description of the alleged wristbands. However, if you were paying close attention to the first clip, you know that she mentions another video that talked about “shackles”. Perhaps her inspiration was indeed the second clip. I’m just speculating here, but considering the similarities of her claim, it makes sense that she may have borrowed the story from Evensen. One could also be led to think that perhaps the former was so inspired by the latter that she might have extrapolated a bit too much. (Again, by playing “devil’s advocate”, I could say she totally fabricated the rest of her version… no matter how well-intended.) Nonetheless, the device they both discuss certainly sounds like an RFID bracelet. RFID-enabled bracelets are the prevailing solution for just that kind of asset-tracking. In fact, this technology has been implemented in minimum-security prisons to track inmates.

Before we dig more deeply into just what these people are trying to warn us about, we need to investigate RFID technology in general. We need to understand what it is, how it is used, and what the limitations are. We need a primer on RFID itself.

What is RFID?

Being a techie by trade, I tend to like digging very deeply into as many facets of a story as possible. I don’t think it is really possible to have a “sane” opinion regarding the alleged RFID bracelets without knowing what the technology really does. Doing so helps one to sort out the fantasy from the fiction. It also helps one to better form his or her answers to the inevitable questions that arise. Can this really be used on the entire population?

According to Wikipedia.org, RFID means “radio-frequency identification” and it refers to the use of an object applied to or incorporated into a product, animal, or person for the purpose of identification and tracking using radio waves. The “object” they are talking about is typically called an “RFID tag” and it can indeed be incorporated into bracelets, credit cards, passports, or many other everyday items. Some of these “tagged” items can be read by a device as far as several meters away and out of the line of site from those items.

RFID tags are typically comprised of at least two parts. One part is the integrated circuit or “chip” and it is responsible for storing and processing information. It also demodulates (decodes) and modulates (encodes) the RF signal at the heart of the device’s functions. The second major part is the antenna used for sending and receiving the radio signal. Think of this whole contraption as a super-miniature computer with an antenna. The below picture is a close-up of an RFID device. The teal colored rectangle in the middle is the “chip” and spiraling around it in concentric circles is the antenna array.

RFID tags generally come in three different varieties:

Active – Active RFID tags contain a battery and can transmit signals without provocation. In other words, they can send out information autonomously.

Passive – Passive RFID tags contain no battery and require an external source to provoke signal transmission. In other words, passive RFID tags only “activate” when something else (like a scanning device) makes them do so.

Battery-assisted Passive – BAP RFID tags have a battery but only “wake up” with a required external source. Having the onboard battery adds significant signal strength and reading range.

The history of the evolution of RFID is an interesting story with its genesis in Soviet Union espionage and moving into the IFF transponders used by Allies in World War II to identify aircraft as friend or foe. It wasn’t until a patent in 1973 that we find the emergence of a true ancestor to what we have today. I encourage you to do a web search and read more about the history on your own.

The Basic RFID System

The process that makes the RFID system function is interesting from a technical standpoint. Understanding this basic process is fundamental to comprehending the “whole picture” of the use and potential misuse of the technology.

The simplified RFID system consists of a transponder (the RFID tag) and a reader. The reader contains an antenna that creates a short-range electromagnetic field in the radio frequency range. When a RFID tag enters this field, the antenna array/coil inside the tag generates what is called an “induction current”. This induction current is enough to “power up” the RFID chip in the tag and to prompt it to announce its presence to the reader. While doing this, the RFID chip checks to see if the reader interrogating it has the right to access the coded information it stores. If the reader does have the proper access to do so, the RFID chip then calls up the required information from its memory and transmits it to the reader in some encoded form.[i]

The below image illustrates the system as implemented in many of the libraries across the country and serves as a basic example of all RFID systems.

 

In the case of the use of Active RFID tags, the reader can just be in a “listening mode” and await an incoming signal from a RFID tag. Active RFID tags can be set to periodically “announce themselves” and await an answer from a reader. From that point, the communication commences normally. Obviously, these types of tags will require periodic replacement or battery changes. In the earlier prisoner tracking example, the Active RFID tags are explained like this:

“Each transmitter constantly sends off a unique signal that’s captured by the antenna and then processed through the computer system, which determines where the subject is at each two-second interval.”

Advances in the Technology

As with any technology, manufacturing companies seek to make products more cheaply and they seek to make the manufacturing process simpler. In the case of “embedded devices” or “wearable technologies”, the manufacturer also seeks to make products smaller and less obtrusive. Think about the evolution of consumer items like the iPod. The iPod started out as a small “brick” that simply stored and played music. Now, it’s a slimmer and smaller device that can be slipped into a small elastic band to fit on your arm and it sports full motion video playback and video capture in addition to music playback. Miniaturization is the name of the game. At the same time, packing more features into the smaller form factor and streamlining the functionality is the status quo for keeping ahead of the competition.

That same maxim applies to the RFID industry and Hitachi, Ltd. seems to be leading the race. I’m sure most readers will be familiar with the below image sporting the ultra-small “mu-chip” or “μ-chip” from Hitachi. (“Mu” is a Greek letter commonly used in engineering to mean “micro”.) The chip (seen inside the green circle) is 0.4mm x 0.4mm in size according to the datasheet.[ii]

 

 

Another graphic provided by Hitachi’s Japanese website puts the size into perspective when compared to a grain of rice.[iii] I remember that it wasn’t too long ago that they announced an RFID device the same size as a grain of rice. They’ve moved very fast to miniaturize it.

               

 

Having developed this super tiny RFID tag, Hitachi has opened the door to many more uses of the technology. Their website outlines their vision quite well.

 “Its unique ID numbers can be used to individually identify trillions of trillions of objects with no duplication. Moreover with a size of 0.4mm square, the µ-chip is small enough to be attached to a variety of minute objects including embedding in paper.

Manufacturing, distribution and tracking systems can be built or enhanced using the µ-chip with an event-driven accumulation of, and on-demand access to, information stored in a database through the network. By coupling this database with the versatility of the µ-chip new business and lifestyles applications can now be brought to reality.”[iv] (emphasis added)

I mentioned that I’m sure some of you have seen the above close-up image of the mu-chip on a human thumb. I happened to get this image forwarded to me in several emails claiming that it was now possible to put this “RFID dust” into a vaccine shot. Hence, the mu-chip would simply be injected into your body and you are tagged! I love a good conspiracy story as much as the next guy, but this just isn’t the case. This little RFID device requires an external antenna[v] to function and that antenna must be much bigger than the little speck of dust in the picture. Again, we can refer to the product data sheet for more information:

 

Optimized External Antenna Length	~ 54 mm
Optimized External Antenna width	1.5 mm
Optimized External Antenna Thickness	0.22 mm
Antenna Material	COA style – Aluminium foilTCP style – Copper foil
Antenna substrate	Polyimide or PEN film

So, with an “optimized external antenna length” of around 54 millimeters (2.13 inches), the actual size of a working mu-chip system is much larger and would hardly be deployable through a syringe.

In a way, Hitachi is to blame for the assumption made by vaccine watchdogs. Hitachi is guilty of the same advertising hype that Intel used when touting their newer and smaller CPUs for computers. The image at the left below is the hyped-up super-miniature size of a typical CPU as advertized. The image on the right shows the actual size of an implemented device with the required heat sink, cooling fan, casing material, etc. to actually use the thing. There’s quite a difference between the technical size of the device and an actual, real-world usable one.

 

 

 

However, we’re not here to discuss the injection of RFID tags. We’re here to talk about the feasibility of using RFID bracelets that can’t be removed… on an entire population!

RFID Readers

The second major component of an RFID system is the reader. This is the device that communicates with the RFID tag that is attached to or embedded within an item. RFID readers can be hand-held devices, wall-mounted devices, or even be built into a door frame of a building. In the above prisoner example, the readers are network-attached “antennas” placed throughout the facility.

If you work at a company that has employee “identification cards” that you hold up to a wall-mounted device to gain entry to the building or to gain entry to a room within that building, you probably already have an RFID device in your possession and use it daily. The box on the wall that you hold your ID up to is the RFID “reader”. If you carry a new U.S. Passport, you have an RFID-enabled passport.[vi]

In most systems, the RFID reader is a rather “dumb” device that acts as the agent between the RFID tagged item and a larger computer system with a database. The reader handles the interaction with the RFID tag and even participates in simple Public Key Infrastructure[vii] data encryption, but it must talk to a larger computer to pass off the information for it to be usable. In other words, the reader acts much like a translator between two people who do not speak the same language.

RFID readers can also act as RFID “writers” to program RFID tags that can be written to. Not all RFID tags can be written. Some are “read-only”. We’ll discuss that more in a bit.

RFID readers come in a variety of formats. Below are some examples of RFID readers in use today.

 

 

 

What Data Can RFID Tags Contain?

The size of the RFID tag as well as the intended use seems to be the determining factor for what information is actually “stored” on the device. In the case of electronic passports, we are told quite clearly what information it holds:

“An Electronic Passport is the same as a traditional passport with the addition of a small integrated circuit (or “chip”) embedded in the back cover.  The chip stores:

• The same data visually displayed on the data page of the passport;
• A biometric identifier in the form of a digital image of the passport photograph, which will facilitate the use of face recognition technology at ports-of-entry;
• The unique chip identification number; and
• A digital signature to protect the stored data from alteration.”[viii]

For simpler devices, like the mu-chip, the tag only contains 128 bits of data. That is hardly enough memory space to contain more than a reference number to be looked up in a database to retrieve correlating data. Some tags are “hard-coded” by the manufacturer with a unique “serial number” and they only communicate that number when queried by the reader.

The United States Department of Defense has mandated its RFID Policy and according to the documentation, suppliers must put passive RFID tags on the smallest possible piece/parcel/pallet/part packaging.[ix] The specifications for these passive devices have been upgraded from 64-bit encoding to 96-bit encoding.[x] Again, that doesn’t provide much memory space for more than a reference number to be looked up elsewhere.

In short, RFID tags can be larger, more complex devices containing data similar to what a passport contains or they can be cheaper and smaller and contain a unique identification number that must be used to retrieve the data from another system.

About Those Bracelets

Let’s presume for a moment that both videos hit on a true plan to implement RFID tracking of United States citizens. What kind of RFID device would likely be used? Would it be passive, active, or semi-passive? Would it store a bunch of data about the individual wearing the device or would it merely have a hard-coded serial number in it?

These are difficult questions to answer from what we are told in the videos. One promising point (promising in regard to figuring this out) was made by Mr. Evensen. He claimed, “…in the case of a medical specialist in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, told me that they had observed a semi tractor-trailer being unloaded at the hospital loading dock – pallets and pallets, scores of cases of metal bracelets…” If this is true, there must be other hospitals around the country receiving (or already have in their possession) similar shipments. If you have access to any such shipment, TAKE PHOTOS AND SEND THEM TO US TO EVALUATE WHAT YOU ARE SEEING! Both Mr. Evensen and the lady in the other video make similar claims to what data is held in these devices. Mr. Evensen goes on to say, “On top is a chip. That chip will include all kinds of information about you – the fact that you had been inoculated.” The woman in the first video states, “… and it tells them that you’ve taken the swine flu vaccine…”

It is entirely possible that these two people are jumping to conclusions about the technology. This is an easy mistake to make for someone who does not understand RFID. It could be that the device is a simple device that only holds a unique serial number which can be used to find out all of that information by querying a database. It would take a MASSIVE effort to roll out bracelets that contain huge amounts of medical data to each and every person receiving a mandatory H1N1 vaccination.

Think about the implementation of the system as Mr. Evensen describes it. In order to program all of those bracelets as described, the person or persons administering the vaccine will have to have a customized reader/writer device and access to the patient’s medical records. The person administering the vaccine must then “transfer” the updated medical records to the bracelet device. Now, multiply this to cover each and every “vaccination site” across the country. This is a huge, expensive, and time-consuming task.

Again, presuming that the use of RFID bracelets is indeed the plan, the scenario could be like this:

• The United States Government contracts with a supplier to provide a huge number of metal RFID bracelets. (Shouldn’t we be able to find purchase records for this?)
• The RFID devices attached to these bracelets are the cheapest and most effective device requiring the least amount of maintenance. This would mean the RFID tag would be a passive device but it would be both readable and writable.
• The RFID device stores the minimum amount of data needed to be effective. At the minimum, this would be the wearer’s name, address, and unique identifier
• The government sets up a new, separate “tracking database” to be used for “lookups” when a RFID reader queries a bracelet AND for “authorized vaccination centers” to enter newly vaccinated patients
• At the time of vaccination, the person administering the vaccine records the unique identifier number on paperwork and/or enters your personal data into the new government tracking database verifying that you had the vaccine.
• The RFID device is programmed with your name and address. (It already has a unique identifier hard-coded at the factory.)
• The bracelet is attached to you.

That seems to be the simplest and most trouble-free way to implement this kind of thing on a very large scale.

Now, what happens when you get stopped at a checkpoint as described in both videos?

• You are approached by an official of some sort carrying a handheld RFID reader
• Your device is queried and you are asked for proof of your identification.
• The handheld device displays your name, address, and unique identifier number. The device optionally does a quick check against the database to verify that the unique identifier is valid. The ID you provided is compared to what the handheld reader displays.
• There is no need to look up anything else from a central database at this point. If you have proof of identification that matches what the bracelet says, it is presumed you have the vaccine. (How else would you get the government-issued bracelet programmed to say who you are?)
• If you act suspicious or you do not have proof of identity, the official uses the handheld to query the government database for more information.
• In a few seconds, the handheld displays a picture and any other pertinent information about you so the official can further identify you. (They also receive proof of your vaccination.)
• If your device fails to identify you or it is malfunctioning, you might be detained until proof of vaccination or identity can be provided. I would presume that a bracelet in this scenario would also have the unique identifier number etched onto it somewhere so it could be manually entered into the handheld scanner. (Think of how a UPC code works at a department store. If it cannot be scanned, the cashier can always type in the UPC code.)
• If nothing works or the information doesn’t match, you will be detained, (re)vaccinated, or worse.

The heart of this system is the government database. However, in the above postulated protocol, querying the database isn’t necessary unless there is a problem at the checkpoint. Simply getting the bracelet to communicate your name, address, and identifier is enough for a rudimentary and time-efficient check.

Again, it is certainly possible for the device to provide a digital photo of you like passports do. It would just add a level of complexity at the vaccination location to take your picture and program the bracelet to store that picture. The scenario I propose is not just possible… it is relatively inexpensive and simple.

Can You Defeat The RFID Bracelet System?

Can’t I just kill the device? It is entirely possible to destroy an RFID device. As a matter of fact, it is extremely simple to do… even if it is “permanently” attached to you via a metal bracelet.

If an RFID tag is not attached to you, you can simply pop it in a microwave oven for a few seconds and the device will be destroyed. [xi] The high-energy radio frequency (HERF) field overwhelms the RFID chip and burns it out. Alternatively, you can just whack the RFID chip with a hammer.[xii]

However, if the device is attached to your wrist, you can’t easily put your arm in a microwave oven and bake it. (Not to mention, that method is NOT recommended!) It also isn’t easy and it is most likely painful to hit the device with a hammer. Plus, the device may show physical signs of being tampered with. If bracelets are implemented, it will probably be very bad (if not illegal) to have a “tampered with” device. The German branch of the “global guerilla innovation network[xiii]”, which is a privacy activist group, developed an RFID-zapper that emulates the microwave oven method in a portable device.[xiv] The RFID-zapper is constructed by modifying a standard film camera converting it into a short-range RFID-killing device.[xv]

But, is zapping your RFID tag the best thing to do? In my above protocol, having an unreadable device doesn’t solve anything. In the worst case scenario, if the device fails and the person at the checkpoint cannot verify that you’ve been vaccinated, you’re in for trouble (apparently). If you’ve been vaccinated already and you can’t prove it, you’re likely to get another dose of the vaccine.

So what? I’ll just cut the thing off and throw it away. If you already have the device, you’ve been vaccinated according to the descriptions of the plan in the videos. You’re already in the system. The only conceivable reason I could think of to remove it once it has been issued to you is over privacy concerns and the ability of the government to track your movements. I think that’s a valid concern if this plan comes to reality. However, the same pitfalls exist as the above scenario where a person just zaps their bracelet. What happens when you do get to a checkpoint and you have to give up identification and you DON’T have your issued bracelet? Would you be in trouble for “destroying Federal property” or tampering? Would you be considered a “problem citizen” for protesting the bracelet by cutting it off?

I don’t know the answers about this, but once you are tagged you are in the “system” and trying to avoid the “system” by removing your tag could have serious consequences.

What about “cloning” or “skimming” someone else’s bracelet? I don’t think that would work, either. The purpose of a unique identifier is that it could be used to look up more information about the wearer. Even if you memorized the basic information (like the name and address) of the person who’s bracelet you cloned, there is always the chance that the official would query the government database and ask you something you could not answer or worst yet, have a picture that doesn’t look like you. Plus, what if that person you cloned information from was being queried 200 miles away from your location at another checkpoint – at the same time? A savvy programmer would have built into the government system such safeguards. A warning would be displayed to the person at the checkpoint that someone with the same bracelet ID just got scanned. Now, you are both in trouble.

What happens if you get someone to steal a box full of those bracelets before they are used? Couldn’t you program them yourself? In my proposed protocol, it wouldn’t really matter. With the heart of the system being the government database, the stolen bracelets and associated unique identifier numbers wouldn’t have valid entries in the database. You would always be at risk of having the person at the checkpoint query the database and nothing would be returned. (Or worse, the associated identifier would come back as “stolen” and you would be detained.) Furthermore, programming the bracelet to have your personal information may be impossible without stealing a RFID reader/writer along with the box of bracelets. As we can see from the FAQ page about U.S. passports, the use of Public Key Infrastructure, BAC (Basic Access Control), and other security measures make it difficult to program your own passport chip. (It can be done, however.)[xvi]

What Can You Really Do, Then?

After thinking about the above scenarios, it seems that there may not be a way to do anything once you are tagged with a bracelet. I think that’s true and that brings this article to my conclusions about RFID and what we can actually do about it… before we are individually tagged.

I’m reminded of a line from the old movie “Wargames”. During the dramatic end of the movie, the WOPR computer started playing simulations for all possible scenarios of “Global Thermonuclear War” before launching the United States’ missiles. After WOPR finds that all possible scenarios end in a stalemate and nuclear war is a pointless exercise, it stands down and states, “A strange game. The only winning move is not to play.”

That is my only real answer to this scenario of H1N1 “Global Thermonuclear War” if the government attempts to implement RFID bracelets. We will quickly find ourselves in a stalemate if we have to wear the bracelets. I think the answer is to not play the game at all. Simply, I believe that we should avoid this kind of move by our government at all costs.

The only way we can avoid the dangerous “what if scenarios”, some of which I listed above, is to not be a pawn in the game. If RFID is going to be implemented, GET OUT OF TOWN. If checkpoints and roadblocks are instituted, avoid them and SPREAD THE WORD to others so they can avoid them. Inform people right away if you EVER see one of these.

By now, we should all have “bug out plans” in place and supplies to take care of ourselves. If for no other reason, we should have these supplies and plans in the event of a natural disaster. If you don’t have these things, PREPARE NOW. I’d rather see that you prepared and didn’t need anything rather than see you caught unprepared for a worst-case scenario.

BUT, the above “GET OUT OF TOWN” plan presumes that we’re already seeing the bracelets come out of the shadows and get attached to people. We (as activists and voters) have some time left to be heard and to let our lawmakers know that WE WILL NOT STAND FOR THIS KIND OF ACTION.

Speak loudly and start to ask questions. Call your lawmakers or your local and state governments and ask if there are any tracking plans like this in place. Start a storm of concerned citizens trying to get answers. GET INVOVLED AND GET TO THE BOTTOM OF IT NOW!

We can see results. Just look at how the story about the “American Police Force” fiasco unfolded in Hardin, Montana. Citizens and alternative media started to ask questions and bombard people with demands for answers. In a little under two weeks, concerned people all over this country got the jump on a terrible situation and quite possibly diffused it. Mainstream media outlets were “scooped” by citizen reporting and alternative websites and are now covering the story AFTER THE FACT!

We need that kind of action to get answers to this H1N1 RFID bracelet story. Otherwise, we’re all pondering the “what if scenarios” and we may be caught off-guard just like the people of Hardin were when black Mercedes SUVs rolled into town sporting the APF logo with the words “City of Hardin Police Force”.

Furthermore, we need tangible evidence of the existence of this plan. We need pictures of the actual bracelets. We need people to tell us what they know. We need to see what is really happening instead of videos of individuals telling us what they believe is happening.

Don’t get me wrong. I applaud these people if they are speaking the truth and not just hyperbole. If they are indeed speaking the truth, this is our story… all of us. Grab it and own it like the Hardin story and let’s get to the bottom of it before it is too late.

Please get involved and COMMENT!

 

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[i] http://www.bibliotheca-rfid.com/What_Is_RFID

 

[ii] http://www.hitachi-eu.com/mu/Products/Mu%20Chip%20Data%20Sheet.pdf

 

[iii] http://www.hitachi.co.jp/Prod/mu-chip/

 

[iv] http://www.hitachi.co.jp/Prod/mu-chip/

[v] http://www.hitachi-eu.com/mu/Products/Mu%20Chip.htm “The Mu chip requires an external antenna and being a passive tag requires no battery, thus enabling a very long lifespan.”

 

[vi] http://travel.state.gov/passport/eppt/eppt_2498.html

 

[vii] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_key_infrastructure

 

[viii] http://travel.state.gov/passport/eppt/eppt_2788.html#One

 

[ix] http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=5725

 

[x] http://www.acq.osd.mil/log/rfid/guide/suppliers_passive_RFID_info_guide_v12.pdf

 

[xi] http://boingboing.net/2008/04/25/howto-killblock-an-r.html

 

[xii] http://www.spychips.com/blog/2006/03/how_to_kill_the_spychips_in_yo_1.html

 

[xiii] http://globalguerrillas.typepad.com/globalguerrillas/

 

[xiv] https://events.ccc.de/congress/2005/static/r/f/i/RFID-Zapper(EN)_77f3.html

 

[xv] http://globalguerrillas.typepad.com/globalguerrillas/2006/01/weapons_the_rfi.html

 

[xvi] http://travel.state.gov/passport/eppt/eppt_2788.html#Twelve