Canadian spy coins fade

Update on the Canadian ubicomp spy coins: now a US Pentagon spokesperson says the story is overblown, and that there's nothing to worry about.

“There is no story there,” the official, who asked not to be named, told The Globe and Mail.

He said that while some odd-looking Canadian coins briefly triggered suspicions in the United States, he said that the fears proved groundless: “We have no evidence to indicate anything connected with these coins poses a risk or danger.”

Similar take from Canadian sources:

Canadian officials, who were not in the loop on the U.S. investigation, reacted to the transmitter-carrying coins skeptically.

“What is the value of a device for tracking someone when it changes hands so frequently and so readily?,” said Alex Reeves, a spokesman for the Royal Canadian Mint, in an interview.
(emphasis added)