Identity Stronghold was founded in 2005 with two thoughts in mind: Inform consumers about RFID embedded chips, and then protect those consumers. In the process, we started the whole industry for RFID protection. Founder Walt Augustinowicz has a technology background, and when discussions started to surface about having a national ID card for all residents with an embedded RFID chip, he started to study. To Walt’s dismay, he found that the interaction with an RFID chip embedded in a card was ‘wireless,’ meaning no contact with the card was necessary to obtain its information. For an RFID chip to transmit data to a reader, close proximity is all that was needed. Without contact or line of sight required, he then knew that anyone armed with one of those readers could mimic the transaction and take the data on the card without the card owner knowing. We have named this unlawful transaction ‘electronic pickpocketing’. The Federal Government initiated the first widespread use of chipped cards, but even then recognizing the vulnerabilities and threat risk, the government mandated protection of ALL employee RFID cards with either protective sleeves or protective badge holders. Walt’s effort to protect himself led to the development of the protective Secure Sleeve®, which became Identity Stronghold’s as well as the worlds first RFID blocking product. Sold to consumers and the government, the Secure Sleeve protected the US Government Employee ID Card and the US Passport Card and that is how Identity Stronghold started.