All RFID, All the Time

In yet another RFID update (it’s funny how once you are thinking about something like this you see it everywhere) this is an interesting little video of Adam Savage explaining why Mythbusters won’t be debunking any more RFID myths anytime soon. In short, they had an entire show planned around RFID myths – how hackable they are, how easy it is to track someone with them, etc. – and legal counsel for various large financial institutions contacted Discovery and scared them into blocking the show. But it is more fun to hear it in Adam’s words so go watch! I’m bummed – I think that would have been a great episode, and it is frustrating to see corporate interests blocking this type of information from getting out. After all, the show has covered myths where they make various explosive materials and they bleep out key ingredients or steps; at the very least, it seems like a negotiation to do something like that could have been reached. It also reminds me on the gag order that was put on the MIT students who were going to speak on how the hacked the Boston subway system at Defcon this year, though that injunction was lifted, albeit too late for the students to speak. In fact, that talk was supposed to be in part about an RFID security weakness as well!