The lawyers from the big RFID backers were sicked on Discovery channel recently in an effort to cover up the widely publicised security flaws in RFID which is used for newer credit cards, passports, driver’s licenses, national ID cards and your ever favorite, NAIS (National Animal Identification System).
Fresh from their success at Nvision, Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman – better known as the Mythbusters – have found themselves in the middle of a global conspiracy conducted by major credit-card corporations. At least, if Adam’s comments at a recent conference are true.
According to CNet, Savage was asked by an audience member at an un-named conference why the team – which host a show aimed at testing common myths in an often explosive manner – had never tested the well-publicised vulnerabilities of RFID chips, including the well-known (and well-cracked) MiFare Classic.
In a video of the conference, Savage details a call which took place between Tory Belleci – a member of the show’s B-team – and Texas Instruments as part of the research carried out ahead of a planned RFID-busting episode. Sadly, Belleci got more than he bargained for: as well as Texas Instruments, the call featured the chief legal councils for American Express, Visa, Discover, and “everyone else” which left the team feeling “way, way out-gunned.”
In a fit of foot-stomping reminiscent of the recent court-ordered ban on a talk regarding the vulnerabilities in the MiFare Classic-based CharlieCard transport payment system, the Discovery Channel – which owns the show – were told in no uncertain terms that “they were not going to air this episode talking about how hackable this stuff was, and Discovery backed way down, being a large corporation that depends on the revenue of the advertisers.” Savage continues with the explanation that the idea of an RFID-busting show is now “on Discovery’s radar and they won’t let us go near it.”
-Bit-Tech
With lawyers abounding over Constitutional hurdles there is no need for free speech… Damn the torpedos.
Hat tip to Paul, Ellen & PV.
Interesting. I saw a bit of a show last week, dh was watching it, and it was about RFID chips and Jamie said something about, “we’re in enough trouble as it is with the feds so we better not do anything else.” Something along those lines. It caught my attention and then they went to the next segment.
Comment Henwhisperer — September 5, 2008 @ 2:21 pm
My husband and I have been watching the show since it’s 1st air date; in the 1st or 2nd season they did one about eelskin wallets ruining the magnetic strips on credit cards, which was busted. But then in typical Mythbuster fashion they tried other ways to ruin the strip which they were sucessful at proving what would do it; microwaves, high voltage, etc.
Its to bad that the powers-that-be at Discovery channel don’t throw a few high powered lawyers of their own around and cry foul, unfair, unconstitutional, etc. It would probably be one of their highest rated shows; other then when they blow something up, like a cement truck.
Comment Lorene — September 5, 2008 @ 2:52 pm
Look the best way to avoid problems with credit cards being hacked is to NOT own one. I thought I couldn’t live without one but I got rid of all of them four years ago and have survived just fine. No Debt, No unreasonable interest rates, No late fees, No identity theft worries, No paying big corporations every time I purchase something. Priceless!
Comment Jeanne — September 5, 2008 @ 5:21 pm
Sadly America has FREE Speech only in theory………
Comment karentaylor — September 5, 2008 @ 7:58 pm
It sounds like big corporate has not only squenched the MythBustersTV show but also squelched the discussion about the squelching of the show. So not only are they censoring but they’re censoring the censorship. Check out this article here.
Comment Danni — September 6, 2008 @ 3:08 pm
re: comment #5…I went to the website where it tells about the “Miffed busters/rfid I can’t so I recant” and there was an opportunity to comment so I did mentioning NAIS…perhaps others may want to add their 2 cents about NAIS, it sure could add up to a chunk of change. The RFID tie-in would certainly educate a lot of other non-animal owners but certainly animal-eaters to the dangers of NAIS to the food supply.
Comment esbee — September 7, 2008 @ 5:05 am
You can bet your last dollar that anything electronic is hackable,anything,and yet they keep telling us its safe,for them perhaps,but not us,not for liberty!Consider the following:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
Notice it says “Congress” shall make no law…. it never said the President couldn’t decree a law(not here specificly anyhow)it doesn’t say a govt bureau like USDA shall make no law… and it never mentions the corporations who now own the planet,nor forbids them from making a law,and edict,a decree to do whatever they choose,in this case it appears they have done just that,anytime your Godgiven rights are violated by anyone they have in effect made a law and enforced it on you.
Men from the days of John Locke to the founders to some alive today have understood that you and I have certain “inalienable” rights,Godgiven, just because you are born a human being,not state granted rights,there are no such things as state given rights,only priveleges and that is incompatable with our republican form of govt,we all have these rights from birth,period!
What we are up against is of course the fascist corporate state ran by the corporates,no I am not anti business and I love free enterprise but that is not what we have been living with here in America or the world for a very long time,it is in fact corporatism ie fascism,govt and business working together,and ever since the erronious decision was made to grant rights(state priveleges)to corporations the same rights as persons(and more), we have had an invasion of our rights by corporations eager to make us into good little consumers who buy their crap and know our place and stay in it,
this is wrong,backwards,upsidedown crazy,those are our rights, yours and mine NOT corporations who find they can use our rights as a lever to bend us to their will or as a hammer to smash us if we interfere or resist.
Jefferson,Washington Madison,and others warned us that the undue influence of corporations and bankers on this nation would make our children homeless in their own country(sound familiar?)
Read the following,
Amendment IX
The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.
Amendment X
The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.
this says that basicly all the power is in the hands of we the “people”(do you read corporations or govt in there anywhere? Me neither!) and that unless the power was specificly granted by the people to the govt then the power or right was forever in the hands of the people(Not negotiable)
Not people as in “incorporation”but as you and me sons and daughters of this republic,its our birthright folks,study it till you understand it, till it burns inside you like a fire,till no one, no govt, no corporation ,no not even you yourself can talk you out of it then act like you are free and dont back down,freedom aint free they like to tell us and its’ true,but another generation, you and me, are now being called on to protect this liberty,remember the phrase:The tree of liberty must occasinaly be watered with the blood of patriots and tyrants this being its natural manure.
This truth may not be pleasant but its still the truth,some folks may even get hurt in this struggle for liberty,I pray its not nessesary but it is possible,
liberty will be made into nothing more than a commercial slogan to sell us somthing unless we say no more and fight back.
I dont mean to rant but I get worked up when my liberty is threatened,and I know most of you do too,this isn’t critisism,look at it as encouragement,not my first and surely not my last,we will win this fight,so lets steel ourselves for the long haul,thanks.
“Live free,or die tryin”
Comment LEE — September 7, 2008 @ 1:40 pm
A Wired.com article on hacking RFID chips from May 2006:
The RFID Hacking Underground
Comment William Greer — September 8, 2008 @ 6:59 am
Lee, you can rant anytime, even if you are preaching to the choir! There is a big movement afoot to restore the Republic and take back our God-given rights and I am proud to be part of it! I can tell from your words that you are too.
Comment Pat H — September 9, 2008 @ 2:00 pm
I’m waiting for some regular people to post on youtube about the RFID chips…let’s just blow it sky high, put it on the public internet just how to hack it, and then it’s useless.
BTW, even if you give up your credit cards, your ID can be stolen. Your credit cards are listed forever on the 3 main credit lists, Equifax, TransUnion, and another one I can’t remember right now. These 3 need to be checked every so often to make sure your previous credit cards are not being used (even if you’ve cancelled them years before)…
You would never know if they are paying the payments regularly, but you would end up with big tax issues with the IRS eventually. So check on those regularly…and that’s the first place to go in identity fraud, to shut everything down.
Check out my site at www takeonyourhealth dot com slash deborah so that you can take advantage of fresh raw fruits and veggies in a capsule. It’s great to have in this kind of economy as well…we could be in for a few months of economic craziness, is your grocery store near a farm?
Comment Jean Allen — September 16, 2008 @ 2:48 pm
I was alwasy under the impression that this show was told what to air. I am POSITIVE that all the myths ‘busted’ are not legit.
They are placed there to show the public half truths.
I dont blame the hosts, I do blame the producers and Discovery.
so this is NO surprise to me. i AM SICK OF IT THOUGH.
We are LIED TO by the gov continually and withheld IMPORTANT info by COURT ORDER?
this is ILLEGAL.
When will you all raise a voice? when will our voice be loud enough to make them STOP.
Comment dalton — January 16, 2009 @ 12:48 pm