What's Up With the RFID Passport Chip?

The techno community has been saying for months that the spy RFID chips in new e-passports can be hacked and the personal data on the embedded chip read by any geek who can get on eBay and get within thirty feet of the passport. If you didn't get a passport in 2006, you may be getting an RFID chip in your passport in 2007; the chip will hold data like your biographical information and digital image which can "be read by special chip readers at a close distance"*. Lest you think I live in a basement, wearing a tinfoil hat (and CNET really does talk about wrapping your electronic passport in tinfoil):

• CNET: E-Passports Pose Security Risk
• Do It Yourself: How to Get a Passport in a Rush

^{Related: RFID Zapper Wiki | * US Gov: Electronic Passport FAQ | RFID Theft Foiling Passport Holder | Passport Legislation History | Edward Hasbrouck: Automated Traveler Targeting and Permission to Travel and Can I Still Get a Passport Without an RFID Chip?}