RFID tags, often debated over their surveillance capabilities, may be as vulnerable to destructive software viruses as other computing devices. The New York Times reports a group of computer researchers affiliated with Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam recently demonstrated how it is possible to infect a very small portion of the memory in an RFID chip that typically holds 128 characters of data. Indeed, security experts have often discounted RFID chips as vulnerable due to the small amount of memory involved in tracking goods. With this demonstration, there is real concern that terrorists or smugglers may be able to evade airport luggage-scanning systems that will use RFID tags in the near future. “It shouldn’t surprise you that a system designed to be manufactured as cheaply as possible is also designed with no security constraints whatsoever,” said Peter Neumann, a computer scientist at SRI International, moderator of ACM’s Risks Forum, and contributing editor of Communications “Inside Risks” monthly column. For more on the risks of RFID tags, see “Inside Risks” on page 136.
Coat of Silence
A new paint mixed with nano particles of copper may offer the sweet silence that theater owners, school officials, even clergy crave. When applied to walls, the paint deflects cell phone radio signals, thus effectively locking out calls. The Chicago Tribune reports that NaturalNano, a firm in Rochester, NY, that discovers, refines, and commercializes naturally occurring nanoscale materials, inserts copper into nanotubes about 20,000 times thinner than a piece of paper. The process creates a medium to suspend the signal-blocking metal throughout a can of paint without changing the way the paint adheres to a surface. The wireless phone industry is opposed to blocking technologies, citing legalities and various emergency calls that might be affected by such wall treatments. NaturalNano counters the nanotech-augmented paint is a passive device, not an illegal radio jammer. Still, the firm intends to combine its signal-blocking paint with a radio-filtering device that collects phone signals from outside a shielded space, allowing certain transmissions to proceed while blocking others.
Buggy Concept
The news that DARPA scientists are hoping to create an army of insect cyborgs that can be remotely controlled to search for explosives and send transmissions drew some spirited reaction from British researchers. BBC News reports a new DARPA proposal is looking for innovative ideas to insert micro-electronic mechanical systems (MEMS) into insects at the pupa stage when they can integrate them into their body. Scientists there believe they can take advantage of the evolution of insects, such as dragonflies and moths, as the insects go through a renewal process at each metamorphic stage that repositions their internal organs around foreign objects. When fully developed, the insects could be remotely controlled to sense certain chemicals, including explosives. Some British experts told the BBC the idea was feasible, but others were not at all convinced, calling it fiction, or at the very least, a very long way off. “What adult insects want to do is basically reproduce and lay eggs,” said one Oxford entomologist. “You would have to rewire the entire brain patterns.”
Net Oversight
In the continuing battle over what its citizens are allowed to see and read on the Internet, China has introduced a virtual—yet visual—duo that patrols news and discussion Web sites, presenting a constant reminder to users that police and others are watching them. Jingjing and Chacha (together the names represent the Chinese characters for “police”) may appear as innocent cartoons, but their purpose is real. The Financial Times reports these animated police officers debuted in the thriving southern city of Shenzen, where real-life police set up an Internet Surveillance Centre. The screen icons, they say, scare off anyone who might be tempted to use online anonymity to break China’s laws. Law enforcement officials in Shenzen claim the mere appearance of the duo makes users think twice before posting sensitive messages; in fact, upon their arrival, the number of postings that had to be filtered out because of suspect content fell reportedly more than 60%.
Virtual Visitation
Divorce in the digital age brings new meaning to parental visitation rights. An increasing number of states in the U.S. are agreeing to “virtual visitation” as an official option, particularly when parents live great distances apart. The Associated Press reports that parents, and courts, are finding that visiting with children via Webcam not only sustains families between in-person visits but also helps ease the tensions that come with divorce and makes it more likely that noncustodial parents will pay their child support regularly. Advocates of virtual visitations say the greatest challenge now is getting the word out; most lawyers and judges are still not aware of it as a viable option or hesitate to authorize it because it is not addressed in the current law. One matrimonial lawyer said: “In my experience, I have found that parents who feel connected to their children are much more invested and much more gracious.”
Campus Campaigns
In an effort to increase their pools of potential applicants, an increasing number of colleges are creating inventive and sometime unorthodox recruitment approaches. USA Today reports more schools are creating increasingly elaborate recruiting Web sites, often cutting the amount of money they spend on print advertising to beef up their online presence. Franklin & Marshall College, for example, has created a series of fun videos depicting (namesakes) Benjamin Franklin and Supreme Court Chief Justice John Marshall on a road trip in search of a college. MIT now features 15 blogs on its site, including 10 written by students. DePauw University offers a virtual tour of its campus via an interactive game that mimics the popular Quest games. And California Polytechnic State University created personalized VIP pages on its Web site for more than 100,000 prospects this year. But don’t count out the basics, cautions Charles Nolan, vice provost for enrollment at Santa Clara University: “High-tech is a good way to get [students] interested. But if they visit and can’t find a parking place and the school is not hospitable, then all that hard work is negated.”
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