How to block/kill RFID chips

Step 1 Reasons for blocking / destroying RFID chips

The main reason someone would want to block or destroy RFID chips would be to maintain privacy. In the last step I explained that RFID tags can be read from very long distances. The potential for abuse of this technology grows as more and more products and devices are being created with these tags built in.

Companies are getting consumers to blindly accept many RFID tagged products with the promise of convenience; however, most of the devices that contain RFID tags don't really need them. The tags may save a few seconds, but sacrifice an enormous amount of privacy and security. It is now possible for someone, with relatively simple equipment, to walk down a busy sidewalk and pickup the personal information of people carrying RFID tagged devices, without them even knowing.

Being able to block or destroy these chips allows people to decide what type of information they are willing to sacrifice for convenience.

Comments

[digitallyinsane]

Passive RFID is triggered at approximately 3 inches, but there are some readers that can read all the way out to around 20 feet in a sterile environment. Throw a couple RFID sources in the same area, and wham, too much interference. My Passport CARD, not my booklet, Credit card, not my ATM, and access badge for work all have RFID, all passive, and at slightly different frequency returns. My work badge for instance doesn't trigger the 'tap here' credit card swipe and my credit card doesn't make my work door light up like an unauthorized badge. My passport card has the telltale square just like the other two, but it won't scan anywhere, so I assume it's a different wavelength. I laminated a piece of tin foil with clear packing tape, cut it into credit card sized slices and put it in the pockets before and after my cards in my wallet. Cheapest, readily avaliable solution. Tried the solution on my work badge to get in the door, in the wallet without the tin foil scanned and worked, with the tin foil didn't scan and didn't let me in. I repeated the test at the gas station with my credit card, so I know it works with different wavelength RFID. I'm convinced.

[metrogdor22]

Thanks for the info. You said a "sterile" environment. Airports, McDonalds, and most other public places don't scream "sterile" to me...

[Nyxius]

Tin foil had better work.  Foil is susceptible to the hall effect, which effectively negates any attempt to transmit electromagnetic energy (depending on the thickness of the foil).  Only higher frequencies and field strengths can penetrate foil. Fields of that strength would fry a normal unprotected RFID tag.  Faraday cages use this to shield sensitive equipment.   Each tag had a serial code, and validates the code by including a time stamp.  This is why each card can only be used for one type of reader.  To see how simple if is to spoof see the following link: www.instructables.com/id/Stupid-Simple-Arduino-LF-RFID-Tag-Spoofer/

summary: Foil acts as a simple Faraday cage and as such can be used to shield almost any weak data signal.

[Superstormj]

I guess you can say their plan has been foiled.
bwahahaha..

[Nyxius]

Also, Doritos bag work nicely.  Yay for Doritos!

[Morganbarker]

 Tinfoil can be used for more than just hat making!