Researchers at Radboud University in Nijmegen have been given the green light to publish an academic article about the security on a chip used in the much-criticised new public transport smart card.

Researchers at the university broke into the Mifare Classic chip’s security system. The chip is currently used in transport and building entry systems around the world.
NXP, formerly Philips Semiconductors, went to court to have the publication blocked. Director Fred Rausch told news agency ANP it was a shame that the article would now be published in the autumn, before the company had had time to take extra security measures.
‘We wanted to prevent the chip being cloned on a large scale,’ he was reported as saying. ‘This is in order to protect the public.’
Judges said the researchers had the right to make their findings known. Publication was also in society’s interest.