release

Security expert Bruce Schneier wanrs us that RFID-enables passports are being rolled out soon and the time to replace your old one is now, before the rollout is complete:

RFID chips don’t have to be plugged in to a reader to operate. Like the chips used for automatic toll collection on roads or automatic fare collection on subways, these chips operate via proximity. The risk to you is the possibility of surreptitious access: Your passport information might be read without your knowledge or consent by a government trying to track your movements, a criminal trying to steal your identity or someone just curious about your citizenship.

It is not yet clear what the effect would be of carrying a passport with a disabled chip. (Or whether it’s too impractical to disable the chip at all)