Pretty-looking, RFID-blocking passport and ID card sleeves

Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2018/02/09/pretty-looking-rfid-blocking-p.html

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Has anyone reliable actually tested these?

More than a few such products actually do nothing to prevent RF signals coming in or out.

Current US passports are theoretically shielded unless opened but I am retired from all that so cannot verify if anyone reliable has tested that either.

(For latecomers, Our government has been known to fudge the truth now and again. Shocking to find this out I know. :))

I’m also curious if theres a cheap way to confirm this and if you could use that to locate your passport if you lost it in your house.

How do you get so much identification? My state won’t give me any form of ID because I owe them money, kind of a pain.

Guess I wouldn’t pay a fascist to put my face on a piece of plastic anyway.

For what’s it worth: I’ve found that a current NFC enabled smartphone with versatile software will usually at least tell you that it sees something when you put them on RFID cards. And not when you wrap the card in aluminum foil.

Basically the only time I borrowed an android phone because iOS severely limits access to the hardware.

The first thing I did when I got my RFID passport was pound the hell out of the spine with a rubber mallet.   Oops!   My RFID no longer RFIDs.

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Mmh. Styling issuses aside, I try not to buy more of anything that I actually need “just in case” anymore. My place is a bit cluttered as it is.1)
I bought a little wallet that holds several cards at the post office when I mailed last year’s christmas/happy new year cards.2) The local Staples carries several types of sleeves for cards and passports as well.

1) Seriously, I have spares for spares. Although I strongly suspect that some of this stuff, especially tools, spontaneously congeals or crosses over from a parallel dimension.
2) Yes, you can still do this. Or picture postcards when travelling. The tedious bit for me is always writing the addresses, so I use pre-printed labels. Once you’ve made and saved the template, it’s a matter of seconds to make and print new ones, and you will always find room for a couple of A4 sheets in your luggage.

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