Travel to Mexico, Canada, or the Caribbean Passport Free with an RFID Embedded License
November 14, 2008 7:05 pm Barcode Educational Tutorials, RFID
A few months ago, New York began offering “Enhanced Driver’s Licenses” (EDLs) that contain embedded RFID chips. The RFID chips can be scanned by border patrols in Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean, allowing RFID chip license holders to travel passport free.
If you’re weary that having an RFID license means that you can be constantly tracked, put your worries to rest. Authorities assure that the RFID chip will not store or transmit any vital personal information, only an ID number.
To get an Enhanced New York license with an RFID chip, it only costs $30 more than the standard $50 licensing fee. When you consider the time, money, and trouble it takes to get a passport, the Enhanced Driver’s License is definitely worth it.
Lauren Miller, a New Yorker, stated, “When I needed to get a new license, I saw an option for the enhanced license and asked what it meant. After receiving an explanation, I thought the enhanced license would be an excellent option for me since I travel to Canada a lot for business. Not having to worry about my passport is definitely worth the extra $30.”
Currently, Enhanced Driver’s Licenses are only available in New York and Washington State, but other states will soon follow suit.
eyeinsee :
Date: November 25, 2008 @ 5:30 pm
so they say you can’t track anyone with these chips BUT this link tells a different story
http://gizmodo.com/5098777/hivaids-patients-to-be-tagged-with-rfid-chips
Answer
Thank you for your concern. There are a lot of stories and mixed thoughts on whether or not someone can be tracked through their personalized RFID chip. While the government assures us that having an RFID embedded license is completely safe, if you are still uneasy, there are some precautions that you can take. One would be to make or purcahse an RFID reader proof wallet and store any embedded RFID cards in there.