[IP] RFID tags in new US notes explode when you try to microwave them Risks Digest 23.24

[Dave Farber <dave@farber.net>]

Date: Tue, 02 Mar 2004 09:54:25 -0500
From: mikkeles@netscape.net (Michael Borek)
Subject: RFID tags in new US notes explode when you try to microwave them

"Prison Planet" (http://www.prisonplanet.com/022904rfidtagsexplode.html) is
carrying a story of an experiment on microwaving the new US $20.00 bills
which contain RFIDs.  (The site includes pictures of the results.)

Apparently, the new bills were setting off every RFID monitor they passed
through!  Wrapping the bills in aluminium foil stopped this behaviour, but
they decided to try microwaving the bills.  This led to the RFIDs exploding
and burning the face of Andrew Jackson's picture.

This could become quite common a problem as word passes that microwaving can
destroy RFIDs without the proviso that this may (will) damage the goods.

(A discussion is also being carried on Slashdot:
http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=04/03/02/0535225&mode=nested) 

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