Infineon gets order for U.S. passport chips

German chipmaker says it's won a contract to supply "several million" RFID chips for e-passport system.

The story "Infineon gets order for U.S. passport chips" published August 21, 2006 at 4:51 AM is no longer available on CNET News.

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[jabbotts]

anyone see humour in this?

Anyone else get a little smile out of this?

After so much talk about how security is paramount, the first thing they do is turn around and farm the work out to a third party in another country with little or no vested interest in the security system they are providing part of.

Regardless of where the third party is located; I get a smile out of thinking that the first step in developing a secure civilian tracking program is to open potential security holes.

[ml_ess]

they're being funny

Completely agreed, I've read numerous articles and blogs (<a class="jive-link-external" href="http://www.iwantmyess.com/?p=80" target="_newWindow">http://www.iwantmyess.com/?p=80</a>) about all the security threats posed to ePassports... maybe the government hasn't, or they're just ignoring the warning signs.
In any case, I'll hang on to my old-school paper passport as long as I can.

[soverby]

Why not a US company

Number one: Why are our tax dollars going to a German company? Number two: what oversight was given to the approval process to allow US passports to become essentially wireless transmit devices containing extremely personal data.

[gubbord]

The 9/11 Hijackers operated from Hamburg, Germany

and now post 9/11 upgraded security farms out the buisness to a German company and this after German courts let all the Al Queda terrorists they caught walk scot free

[Caligrl1025]

Have to be issued a new passport?

Those of us who have passports currently, will we be issued new passports? Will our current passports be no longer valid?