Originally Posted by PorkRind
I think a better solution would be for the RFID chip to broadcast only a unique, digitally-signed identification number that would be the key to your entry in a central passport database. That way, no unencrypted personal data would be broadcast, and only those with access to the passport database would have the means to verify what's already printed on the passport.
My knowledge in this area is closer to zippo, but should we presume that even an encrypted RFID tag would NOT be identifiable as unique and would pose a security risk when travelling? I make no such presumption. A criminal with a modified scanner would be able to note that a certain unique mark/signal was received and associate it with a given person or group of persons. That is a window of opportunity for criminal types.