Is this what's next for the US?
We are already tracked in our passports by RFID, so why not extend that to our cars? When will we be able to use RFID to track your car's speed so we don't need police to write up traffic violations anymore? How bout chipping your kids? We already chip our pets....
27B Stroke 6:
Malaysia plans to embed remotely readable chips in license plates next year, in an attempt to cut down on stolen cars, according to the International Herald Tribune. The RFID chips will be readable from 100 yards and have a ten year life span.
It's not exactly clear how this will help since Road Transport Department Director-General Ahmad Mustapha was quoted by New Straits Times as saying "The first thing thieves do after a car theft is change the registration plates." I guess then the system will work by waiting on someone to report their car as stolen and then for people to report their stolen license plate, which can then be used to track down a car. No word on what will happen when a thief steals a car and some other license plate and then disables the RFID tag, nor how many readers the country plans to have around the country. Of course, such a system would be a very nice way to keep a database of the movement of citizens.
I for one welcome the move and have been thinking for years, "Won't someone think about luxury cars?" (BTW, how cool would it be if the RFID could also be used to pay street vendors for cigarettes and chee cheong fun)