Are new passport identification standards a boost for security and efficiency or a beacon that tells bad guys how to target Americans?

The U.S. State Department announced security changes for passports that will have an implanted chip that sends a radio signal to a special reader. The passport chips use what's known as radio frequency identification or RFID. The news got a mixed response from groups that originally expressed concerns about the technology.

Critics complained people intent on doing harm to Americans could easily develop technology to zero in on the passports in a crowd. U.S. officials responded by developing a wire mesh jacket and better encryption. Bill Scannell, founder of the website RFIDKills, and a leading critic of the passport idea, says the new proposal is an improvement, but not a solution. The improvements have won over at least one critic, however. Greeley Koch, president of the Association of Corporate Travel Executives, says the the precautions are adequate.