California is passing a bill that would put strict limits on the use of RFID tags on all state-issued identity documents, including driver's licenses. (One example of how RFID tags were used in a dehumanizing fashion unbeknownst to parents was in Sutter, California, at Brittan Elementary school, where children were issued electronic badges outfitted with RFID chips, but without parents knowledge or permission).

Consumer advocates also worry about the ability of data thieves to intercept RFID signals or break into databases storing the information collected by such systems. The RFID chips are designed to broadcast personal data, such as name, address and date of birth, to special receivers at close range.

What will happen, though, when the Real ID act passes, as it most likely will if Republicans can pass it, and a national identity card is created for all state driver's licence bureaus? Will the state of California's laws against RFID be honored versus a federally-mandated card administered by Homeland Security?

The California bill also puts the state at the forefront of a national debate. The U.S. State Department plans to issue passports containing RFID chips soon, and schools and libraries across the country are experimenting with them too. A Republican-backed federal measure that has passed a vote in the U.S. House of Representatives proposes implanting RFID chips in driver's licenses. Businesses are also ratcheting up their use of the technology.