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> If that happens, everyone is screwed anyways, what difference does it make if your passport has a machine readable chip?! All governments in developed countries know all of their citizens.

In case it happens, the lack of always-on, uncontrollable surveillance can help you to become a dissident and fight the corruption. Otherwise you will get in jail or killed immediately if you try.

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A passport with a chip in it isn't

`the lack of always-on, uncontrollable surveillance`

And even if it somehow did, you leave the device at home while you go out on your dissidence business.

Again, this is hugely overblown.

> you leave the device at home while you go out on your dissidence business

This is not so simple at all. Mobile phones are required everywhere now, from reading a menu in a cafe to entering a building with QR-codes (against corona, of course). I am not even speaking about importance of communication with other people.

Also, no government turns into a tyranny overnight. It happens slowly and most people will not be aware of it until late, including dissidents.

Re the QR code, can't you just print it out on a paper?

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