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Anti -Terror Airport Tagging Plan

Welcome to the new plan to stop terrorists. Again it is to do with RFID chips ( personally I like cheesy chips - ah well) . Plans are in place to tag you at airports. This will allow them to track people under suspicion. And will show spacious behaviour.

Sounds super dooper to me , that is if you/they wear their chip (or plant it on somebody else) or 'accidentally' disable it*, but we'll ignore them obvious flaws. I won't even go into the freedom/liberty argument, or that it is yet ANOTHER way to control us.

*If a terrorist was so determined to take his own life then surely he/she would be able to disable their chip. It is hardly difficult to do. 10 seconds with your Ginsters in the microwave should do the job. Mmm chip disabled and lovely Chicken and Mushroom slice to scoff!

Also once you depend on technology rather than human instinct and experience, you are asking for trouble IMO. Let's hope their computer system doesn't experience any bugs (best not tell them to install Windows hey!)

Let's have a look at the article:

From Daily Telegraph

Anti-terror plan to tag air travellers


By Nic Fleming, Science Correspondent
(Filed: 13/10/2006)

Airline passengers could in future be tagged as part of anti-terrorism measures.

Travellers would be tracked through airports via chips in plastic wristbands emitting radio signals, and could be watched on cameras.

Scientists at University College London, where a new Centre for Security and Crime will open today, are helping to develop the Optag system.

A trial is planned for a Hungarian airport. If successful, the system could be operational within two years.

Passengers would be tagged on entering an airport or at check-in. Sensors, accurate to three feet, linked to a database of passenger information, could update locations every second. Officials could track people under suspicion.

Dr Paul Brennan, of UCL's department of electrical engineering, said: "If the pattern of behaviour was suspicious you could take action."

Other uses of Optag could be to track late passengers and lost children.

Ok then, so everybody that enters an airport will be tagged. Do you have any idea of the amount of people that is? Well for Heathrow that is 67.7 million people every year, so just over 110k per day.

And won't this cause delay? Each tag will have to be personalised so they can identify you. And do you give them back?

Won't this cost extra money? Extra staff? Another control room? More cameras?

Sensors accurate to 3ft? So what happens if I'm 5ft away - does it become inaccurate? Of course the obvious solution would be to have so many sensors so you are never more than 3ft away

Heathrow has a floor space of 48,000m² (or approx 512,000ft ²) , so that will ba lotot of sensors!

Sthat'sts even more money! Plus even more for electricity and maintenance.

Also how do they determine if your behaviour isuspiciousus? (Roger one, tag 324525 name Smith has gone to the toilet 4 times in the last 30 minutes - requesting back-up)

And I won't mention them fatal flaws I mentioned earlier. Oh go on then.

a) Well they could easily take them off, put them in a bin or put them on somebody else.

b) You could quite easily disable them. RFID zapper anyone??

(Pssst - don't tell the terrorists)

Right lets look at this Optag.

Website looks a bit basic and lacking any real information, probably because it has just started up.

They harp on about (the article mentioned it briefly) the ability to track down late passengers and assist in emergencies . Sounds fair enough. Lets hope you people remember to wear your chips then! (pssst - don't put them in microwave either!).

So they track you via a computer system with lots of little blobs. So say you are late, they will track you down. Then they will magically transport you to the flight! Sorted.

No?!!? - what will happen is that they'll:

a) Make an announcement over the tannoy (err don't they do that already - will they listen?)
b) Get somebody to get you (will they know what you look like? - will you stand still?)
c) Send an electronic signal to electrocute you and get the chip to say " YOU ARE LATE - GET A MOVE ON - GET OUT OF THE PUB FAT ASS (I made this one up - damn I've probably given them a good idea now!)

Of course you will need a vast amount of operators to track all these people efficiently, airports are very busy places at the best of times.

Ok some more details from an article from Professional Engineer

Tags will be approx $1 each, once they sort out the technology. (remember though the added cost of repair , cameras, personalisationon of the chip etc)

Will send a targeted tannoy announcement (well not that much difference to what happens now - still depends if the person is listening or understands the person speaking - so still the same flaw)

Needs cells that contain 8 cameras housed in a complex assembley (sounds expensive) plus also needs a control room.

More about stopping delays than tracking, so what is the Daily Express on about then? Which one is telling the truth?

They say the chips would not have thrawted 9/11 (SO WHAT IS THE POINT OF THEM!!!). Mines going in the microwave.
Well sounds like a total waste of money and time. It is obvious it is not about late boardings or whatever, because I can't see how that will help. A targeted tannoy? Give me a break- it may help a little, but not for this amount of money. And the logistics will be a nightmare. People going in, people going out etc.

People this is just another way of controlling you and yet again another invasion of your privacy. In the future this will be done automatically with computealgorithmsms. So they'll know exactly what you have been doing (too many drinks sir?- you are not coming aboard).

And this will IMO actually add to the delay and there are still them 2 fatal flaws I mentioned. And cost you the passenger more money, these have to be paid for!

And won't stop terrorists either.

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