Mobility

On Thursday 28 February 2013 there will be an important debate about the Dutch 'OV-chipkaart' (Public Transport chip card) in the Dutch House of Representatives (permanent commission for Infrastructure and Environment). In preparation of this debate the Privacy First Foundation today brought the following points to the attention of relevant Dutch Members of Parliament:   The 'anonymous' OV chip card is not anonymous because it contains a unique identification number in the Radio Frequency Identification (RFID)-chip with which travellers can be identified and tracked afterwards through the linking of transaction data. In the view of Privacy First, this constitutes a violation of two human rights, namely the freedom of movement in conjunction with the right to privacy, in other words the classic…

Argumentation courtesy of Stichting Meldpunt Misbruik Identificatieplicht ('Dutch Contact Point on Abuse of Mandatory Identification'): (1) The application of a Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID)-chip makes the 'OV-chipkaart' (Public Transport chip card) vulnerable. Information on the card can be read by others at a distance, the card can be copied or manipulated, and the credit that’s on it can easily be stolen. (2) Storing personal data for much too long affects people's personal freedom. There is absolutely no need for transport companies to continuously register exactly where someone is located, to make video images of every check-in and check-out and to store these data for an undetermined period of time. (3) Because personalized chip cards are to be accommodated with a scan of the passport…