New hi-tech dog tags use encryption?... [CNN]
Forwarded message:
PENTAGON INTRODUCING HIGH-TECH DOG TAGS
electronic military dog tag December 27, 1997 Web posted at: 7:58 p.m. EST (0058 GMT)
From Correspondent Jonathan Karl
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Through triumph and tragedy and two world wars, the military dog tag has been an American icon for generations of soldiers and sailors.
Today's armed forces wear the same basic dog tag that their great-grandparents wore. But that's about to change.
By 1999, the 1.4 million members of the active duty military will be issued a high-tech dog tag that contains a computer chip. CNN's Jonathan Karl reports icon 2 min. VXtreme video
The old dog tags had just five lines for information, which included spaces for name, religion and blood type. The new digital tags, however, can contain volumes of multi-media information, including medical histories, X-rays and cardiograms.
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"We have to be very concerned about how we protect the information -- in who's hands would it be, should it be encrypted, could the encryption be broken, what would happen if it ended up in the wrong hands," says Defense Secretary William Cohen.
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If issues of cost and privacy can be solved, the old metal dog tags seem certain to become just another piece of military history.
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On Sat, 27 Dec 1997, Jim Choate wrote:
Forwarded message:
PENTAGON INTRODUCING HIGH-TECH DOG TAGS
"We have to be very concerned about how we protect the information -- in who's hands would it be, should it be encrypted, could the encryption be broken, what would happen if it ended up in the wrong hands," says Defense Secretary William Cohen.
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If issues of cost and privacy can be solved, the old metal dog tags seem certain to become just another piece of military history.
I doubt the old metal ones will go away - smartcards have an annoying tendancy to melt when your aircraft suffers traumatic deceleration. Two competing cards were demo'd at JWID a few years back, so this isn't a new concept. One way to keep them from losing your vacination records ... -r.w.
participants (2)
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Jim Choate -
Rabid Wombat