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To: Ichy Smith who wrote (192444)	1/11/2007 2:00:57 AM
From: KLP	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 793914

I'm not so sure the kids won't spend the money for a passport, Ichy...Look how expensive the xBox's and the iPod's are...the kids think NOTHING about ordering music at $1 each from a site, or on a card....and they certainly go to many concerts where the tickets are $50 each or more. Their speciality clothes, and sports gear are expensive, and the accessories for the iPods aren't a giveaway either. Sorta makes passports look a good deal!

To: Ichy Smith who wrote (192444)	1/11/2007 4:05:00 AM
From: KLP	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 793914

Ichy...Did you see this? Spy devices discovered in Canadian coins seattletimes.nwsource.com By Ted Bridis The Associated Press WASHINGTON — Can the coins jingling in your pocket trace your movements? The Defense Department is warning its American contractor employees about a new espionage threat seemingly straight from Hollywood: It discovered Canadian coins with tiny radio-frequency transmitters hidden inside. In a U.S. government report, the department said the mysterious coins were found planted on U.S. contractors with classified security clearances on at least three separate occasions between October 2005 and January 2006 as the contractors traveled through Canada. The U.S. report doesn't suggest who might be tracking American defense contractors or why. It also doesn't describe how the Pentagon discovered the transmitters, how they might function or even which Canadian currency contained them. Further details were secret, according to the U.S. Defense Security Service, which issued the warning to the Pentagon's classified contractors. "What's in the report is true," said Martha Deutscher, a spokeswoman for the security service. "This is indeed a sanitized version, which leaves a lot of questions." Top suspects, according to intelligence and technology experts: China, Russia or even France — all said to actively run espionage operations inside Canada with enough sophistication to produce such technology. The Canadian Security Intelligence Service said it knew nothing about the coins. "This issue has just come to our attention," CSIS spokeswoman Barbara Campion said. "At this point, we don't know of any basis for these claims." She said Canada's intelligence service works closely with its U.S. counterparts and will seek more information if necessary. Experts were astonished about the disclosure and the novel tracking technique, but they quickly rejected suggestions that Canada's government might be spying on American contractors. The intelligence services of the two countries are extraordinarily close and routinely share sensitive secrets. "It would seem unthinkable," said David Harris, former chief of strategic planning for the CSIS. "I wouldn't expect to see any offensive operation against the Americans." Harris said likely candidates include foreign spies who targeted Americans abroad or businesses engaged in corporate espionage. "There are certainly a lot of mysterious aspects to this," Harris said. Experts said such tiny transmitters would almost certainly have limited range to communicate with sensors no more than a few feet away, such as ones hidden inside a doorway. "I'm not aware of any that would fit inside a coin and broadcast for kilometers," said Katherine Albrecht, an activist who believes such technology poses serious privacy risks. "Whoever did this obviously has access to some pretty advanced technology." The CIA has acknowledged its own spies have used hollow U.S. silver-dollar coins to hide messages and film. Experts said hiding tracking technology inside coins is fraught with risks because the spy's target might inadvertently give away the coin or spend it. They agreed, however, that a coin with a hidden tracking device might not arouse suspicion if it were discovered loose in a pocket or briefcase. "It wouldn't seem to be the best place to put something like that; you'd want to put it in something that wouldn't be left behind or spent," said Jeff Richelson, a researcher and author of books about the CIA and its gadgets. "It doesn't seem to make a whole lot of sense."