Passport-embedded RFID tags are back with a vengeance, as the State Department has given the go-ahead for December testing of a new system with enhanced security features, following intense public pressure that forced them to scuttle their original design this past June. The new arrangement contains two key security upgrades: embedded anti-skimming material to prevent non-authorized personnel from stealing personal data and Basic Access Control, which requires user-certification before the RFID chip will broadcast its signal.

We'll have to wait and see if this added security is meaningful or not, but I'm still glad I got mine already. I *really* don't see what the problem was with contact based smart chips, assuming you absolutely must go electronic. The whole thing seems silly. By which I mean, it seems like someone got paid off big time.