GeekLimit

RFID tagging: so I heard you’re out of toothpaste… (part 2)

Posted by The Technocrat | Filed under Geeky

OK, as I mentioned previously, we know RFID tags have the potential to give away our private information. So far, usage of RFID for personal use has been a nightmare, to put it lightly. The people who have been trying out RFID so far have proven that they didn’t think it out compltely before they started trying this technology out on citizens, or simply refuse to let their privacy get in the way of profitability or ease of monitoring.

Here’s the deal. For companies like Wal-Mart (that allow partners to watch you in real-time while making your product selection), you’re pretty much out of luck. Until you purchase that item, it’s not yours, and you’re on their private property, so in addition to the video at the door, the cameras in the ceiling, and the RFID tags in the products, you have a group of marketers watching you, and it’s all legal.

But what happens when you leave the store with the products? They’re still able to broadcast their tags to anyone who asks. BellSouth recognized this, and filed for their patent to scan a garbage can, pick up, and record all of the RFID tags contained inside before dumping the trash into the garbage. Add a GPS unit on the truck, and it wouldn’t be difficult to record this information and build quite a database on people over the course of a few months. Since garbage is in the public domain, (i.e. you “willingly” gave up your rights to it) this marketing research can be used or sold to anyone willing to pay for it.

Starting to get the idea that RFID isn’t your friend? I’ll get into how to make it a little more friendly in the next, and final, blog in this series. In the meantime, try not to let anyone see your tinfoil hat…

Comments (0) | December 14th, 2005