Each ticket to the opening and closing ceremonies will contain a RFID chip that has the owners, passport info, their photo, address, telephone numbers, and email address as a security measure to prevent disruptions during the ceremonies.These $720 tickets are the most expensive Olympic ticket and the Canadian Press list some good arguments as to why this is not only a lame idea but rather sets up the ticket owner for potential identity theft. Here is what Security Australian security expert, Roger Clarke, had to say :
"... The way in which you recognize an evildoer, somebody who wants to throw a bomb, somebody who wants to unfurl a Tibet flag is not on the basis of their identity," Clarke added. "It's the act that they perform and it's the materials they carry with them. ..." [Link]
Transfers of these tickets to a family member or friend would be next to impossible and potentially create long waits as officials at the gate try to figure out why a 30-year-old white male has the passport data of a 65-year-old Japanese woman. (Simply answer, she was a ticket scalper.)
The photo above came from Xinhuanet as part of a ticket unveiling ceremony. The artwork is very attractive is and the RFID technology therein advanced to a point of Orwellian dimensions: [Link]
