Privacy

New ID cards with embedded chips containing encrypted personal data have raised concerns about privacy. For example, Germany’s national ID card uses contactless smart card technology that communicates via RFID signals, and even though some studies have disproven concerns about spying or stealing the data on microchips, many people remain very concerned about their privacy. Due to this growing concern, some people have microwaved or boiled their ID in an attempt to disable the chip, which is illegal because IDs are state property. Skepticism of state authorities and what they do with encrypted data is causing people not to want to utilise new technologies of ID security.