The United States has started using RFID "chips" in new passports. The new passports will be able to transmit information about you to electrical sensors, and will store your digital photo in order to make your photo available to facial recognition cameras.

The new computer chip in your passport will be mandatory.

The government answers some other frequently asked questions here. You may be concerned about the fact that your new electronic passport will be transmitting your personal data at all times, wherever you go in your travels, readable by any government RFID sensor, or any hacker who knows how to read the data.

You can read a long list of anti-RFID passport comments on the government web site here.

The Washington Post is running the story about how two Homeland Security officers recently attempted to enforce obscenity laws in a Maryland library:

"Two uniformed men [Homeland Security] strolled into the main room of the Little Falls library in Bethesda one day last week and demanded the attention of all patrons using the computers. Then they made their announcement: The viewing of Internet pornography was forbidden. . . .

After the two men made their announcement, one of them challenged an Internet user’s choice of viewing material and asked him to step outside, according to a witness."

A new bill [PDF] "To require owners of Internet websites to destroy obsolete data containing personal information," is aimed at preventing web sites and search engines from storing your personal information longer than necessary. News.com is running a story about it.

The Guardian reports that biometric ID cards are coming to the UK:

Millions of British citizens will be compulsorily required to hold an identity card and see their biometric details placed on a central database after the government last night fended off a backbench rebellion designed to derail the plan. Anyone applying for passports or immigration documents will in two years time be required to apply for an ID card.

The cards will store 49 types of information, including fingerprints and other biometric information. It is expected that the cards will eventually become compulsory, with a punishment of a £2,500 (US $4,350) fine for not registering.

A company in Ohio has just made it mandory for some of their employees to have RFID tags implanted under their skin. The identification "chips" are implanted in the upper arm. The chips are not required for employment, but are required for certain jobs, specifically accessing their data center. Ironically RFID tags can be cloned, allowing hackers to bypass the security. The age of RFID tags is coming. More about RFID coming soon.

In an article titled Google Copies Your Hard Drive - Government Smiles in Anticipation, the Electronic Frontier Foundation discusses some of the privacy issues related to the ability of the new Google Desktop software to remove data from your computer and store it on Google’s servers. The article also provides links to further reading about the subject.

Google may be building an alternate Internet system. The linked article discusses this "GoogleNet" and the possibility of a GoogleCube. Google is motivated to collect data about you because it allows the company to target advertising better.

As discussed in a recent article from the Associated Press, Google is not the only one who wants your personal data:

Google is fighting the Justice Department’s subpoena in a federal court battle that’s focusing more attention on the risks of personal information held by Internet companies being turned over to outside sources, including the government.

In some places, cell phones are being used to track vehicle movements. The technology is there, and the government has found a way to use it for your benefit.

"For your security" cell phones will soon be able to recognize you by your face. Cell phones can transmit data. Soon, facial recognition technology will be everywhere.

It’s happening in China. Coming to your country soon…

Internet giant Yahoo has been accused of supplying information to China which led to the jailing of a journalist for “divulging state secrets”.