RFID, or radio frequency identification, is a technology that uses a very small electronic device to broadcast data over a radio frequency to a receiver which uses the information to make a credit card payment, know the location of the RFID device or allow access to a secure building.

This is the technology that allows you to fly through the automatic toll booths, to use your Speedpass key chain device to charge gas or use your “Tap & Go” credit cards like Mastercard’s PayPass. It also allows many Deputies and Police Officers access to their own Offices, Stations and Courts in the form of RFID implanted ID cards. Ultimately, you will one day be able to pull up your grocery cart to a checkout lane and the register will already know exactly what is in your cart and how much your bill is.

Governments and credit card companies would like us to believe that the information being broadcast from these devices is encrypted and entirely secure. However, there have been many reports of hacks to RFID devices including the video after the "Read More" link that shows an RFID enabled credit card revealing the owner’s account information to anyone with a $8 card reader that can be found on ebay.

It would be nice to think that this was an isolated incident, but unfortunately, besides credit cards, there have been reported hacks to everything from passports to train passes. In fact, the popular show “MythBusters” wanted to uncover just how insecure these devices were on their Discovery Channel show, but were met by serious resistance from credit card companies. Discovery ultimately bowed to the pressure and did not air the show for fear of losing advertising dollars from the credit card companies.

(For fans of the show, Adam Savage talks about this incident in this YouTube video)

The security problems from RFID are difficult to address although well known. Most of the problems stem from the fact that the RFID devices themselves can carry very little data so there is no room on the device to add in complex encryption schemes like those used to secure data sent over the internet.

The United States government has required that all RFID implanted ID cards now be issued with a shielding sleeve or holder which would, hopefully, prevent the data from being read without permission.

Why Police Officers and Deputies should be concerned about this problem is that we are increasingly being issued RFID implanted identification cards that allow us access to our own secure buildings. If a hacker is able to get close enough to you and has a device to accept and decrypt the signal he could possibly have access to our own Departments and Courts.

Additionally, we know that drug and gun dealers have been on top of security technology since the 80’s often placing video surveillance and advanced security systems around their homes and cars. It would take little more to add equipment to accept a signal from our RFID enabled ID’s and know we are there and who we are before we even get to the door.

I do not want to create a mass paranoia about this, and I love the convenience of these cards afford. However, I fear how this technology could be used against us and the citizen’s we are sworn to protect if the companies selling this technology do not wake up to the reality of the security holes they have failed to patch.

Last year a bill was introduced in the Michigan legislature to require government ID cards to be issued without these tags, but was ultimately defeated and never made it out of committee. My hope is that either the security technology will catch up with RFID or a similar bill will pass in the Michigan legislature.

To learn more about RFID go to HowStuffWorks.com

To learn more about reported RFID hacks check out Engadget.com