An ominous YouTube channel gives instructions on how to deactivate the RFID chip in your ID card. Does that even make sense?

Screenshot: Mimikama.at
Source: YouTube

The video begins with a female computer voice telling you how dangerous an RFID chip is. This is what is claimed:

“Employers/states can create movement profiles of their own employees/citizens by reading the RFID chips in employee ID cards/ID cards. Germany is a permanent surveillance of the employee/citizen. (…) Theoretically, an RFID transponder can be read over distances of up to over a kilometer.”

Is that true?

Note the word “theoretical” because so many things are theoretically possible. Technically, the RFID chip itself does not emit any signals; for this it would need an energy source, for example a battery or rechargeable battery. It gets the energy to send signals from the readers that work with NFC (Near Field Communication). As the name suggests, the reader must be very close to the RFID chip, i.e. only a few centimeters . Theoretically, reading devices could be produced that increase this range, but hobbyists actually like to try it out. Reason: For example, important items such as the front door key could be provided with an RFID chip, which can then be quickly found using a cell phone with an NFC reader and an app. However, practice shows that at best an increase of up to a few decimeters is possible , an increase as described in the video (“over a kilometer”) is not technically feasible, at least not today.

Does this work with the microwave?

Yes, it actually works, as we confirmed in a 2015 article .
However, we would like to emphasize once again that such an act is punishable by law.

Reason: Paragraph 2 of Section 4 of the Passport ID Act states: “ID cards are the property of the Federal Republic of Germany.”
And Section 303 (1) of the Criminal Code states: “Anyone who unlawfully damages or destroys someone else’s property will be punished with a prison sentence of up to two years or a fine punished."

I'm still afraid that it will be secretly read! What now?

But if you still want to protect yourself from secret reading, Google is recommended. RFID blockers on various online sales areas . These are covers for ID cards that are coated on the inside with aluminum and make it impossible to read the RFID chip.

Screenshot: Mimikama.at
Source: Google search

So if you still believe that the RFID chip is used for “total surveillance”, it is much easier to protect yourself from it. And completely legal too.

 

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Notes:
1) This content reflects the current state of affairs at the time of publication. The reproduction of individual images, screenshots, embeds or video sequences serves to discuss the topic. 2) Individual contributions were created through the use of machine assistance and were carefully checked by the Mimikama editorial team before publication. ( Reason )