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Vehicles are integral to almost all categories of terrorist activities. But in
the case of terrorism aimed at inflicting large scale destruction, vehicles
of varying types, including motorcycles, are a must. Terrorists have to
have vehicles from somewhere and drive them to some place. Whether
they purchase it discretely or steal, some means of transportation is
required to carry the lethal cargo to the desired destination.
Over the years, various technologies, including GPS and RFID, have
evolved to track the movement of vehicles. While GPS is expensive
involving an elaborate satellite network, RFID is dirt cheap by
comparison. A car fitted with an RFID tag cannot move about without
leaving a trail of its journey. Instead of manned checkpoints, data from
an RFID fitted car can be retrieved discretely at concealed receivers
along roadside without stopping the car and without its occupants
knowing that their car has been checked. From privacy concerns, it may
not be a very desirable policy. But in situations where the lethal cargo of
a vehicle can send hundreds of innocent and non-suspecting citizens to
death, there is no room for the concerns of privacy cynics.
In Malaysia, all the vehicles are fitted with RFID tags. Even the cars of
tourists entering the country are fitted with special tags which transmit
the information to check points about the entire history of the visit since
the time of entry. In the case of unauthorized overstay of the visitor, the
car is stopped at the first checkpoint even if the limit expired a moment
ago. Such a degree of vigilance cannot be expected from humans.
Needless to say, any car without RFID tag or a tempered tag is an
immediate suspect.
In the case of a suicide attack involving a vehicle, we at best have the
record of the final moments of the event if footage is available. Even that
tells a lot about the attack. But in the event of RFID tag attached to the
vehicle, the record of its entire journey spanning past days, weeks and
even months will be available with exact timing of its passing through
various checkpoints.
The advantage of RFID is not limited to the security forces. It is a very
effective tool against theft and thus a great incentive for the owner to
have RFID tag fitted in the vehicle. With the advancement in technology,
it is becoming almost impossible for thieves to start an RFID fitted car.
There are multiple layers of security which cannot be breached easily.
On top of that, if somehow the car is stolen, it would be tracked wherever
it goes and would be stopped at the first check point if the theft has been
reported. It would only be the ungodly who would object to having RFID
tags in their cars. This will also be a great convenience for general public
because people could drive through without having to stop at
checkpoints.
While terrorists take full advantage of the response (or lack of it) of the
security forces regarding the past acts of terrorism, we are always
clueless because of lack of crucial data for which a very effective and
cheap technology has been available and improving since World War II.
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2009
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