RFID Spychips Grocery Store Surveillance

RFID Spychips Grocery Store Surveillance Privacy Storm Over RFID Chips by Mike Banks Valentine American consumers RFID means Radio Frequency Identification, is a term that is increasingly known as the use of new technology becomes ubiquitous. There is no doubt that the small chips that allow the tracking of physical goods from the warehouse to the assembly line sales checkstand replace the barcodes previously used for that purpose. Some RFID chips are small, almost indistiguishable powder, in many cases. Photo link: These dust sized RFID chips are capable of transmitting their own SKU (Sales Keeping Unit), the same information currently encoded in barcodes, distances of up to 20 feet of an RFID reader. " In fact, these diminutive little chips can do. I can send a unique serial number that can identify the subject is embedded in - until the date and place of manufacture. Bar codes are limited to information that identified the product categories. RFID carries information equivalent to the product DNA, while allowing a number for each point on the planet! What happens when an object "RFID reader" at the door of the manufacturer, the tracking system knows the item has gone from a building. Another reader signals that it is now become a train or plane to be sent to a warehouse, where the traces of another player of arrival and storage of information, and readers familiar with the subsequent passing trucks, platform power retail check-out stand and the door. All this can be done without opening the container, resulting in tremendous cost savings throughout the supply chain. " Privacy issues do not occur to consumers that the chain link. Walmart is requiring its 100 largest suppliers to use RFID tags at the pallet. This means that the labels are in use to identify and track groups of products arriving in store shelves in Walmart up the giant retailer. Some products, such as Gillette razors, the individual tests were monitored to the point of final sale and disposal of the Walmart store. Privacy claims that the practice delayed the start of a boycott of Gillette. If the protection of privacy in the monitoring of a single product through the shop for the sale has caused a slowdown in demand for this technology, what can we expect when every product is RFID tag? Without doubt this is appropriate and not in the distant future, but within the next 5 years. U. S. Department of Defense hours requires all suppliers to use RFID technology and embed tags in products sold in U. S. military for the next year. Clearly there will be little or no outcry from military personnel and govement infringement on privacy technology by the govement are rarely required to respect the privacy of home. But if all the military suppliers are forced to use RFID chips in every item used in each of the supplies sold millions and used by the military - for the next year, 2005 - then there is no doubt that all the U.S. govement will soon realize this same policy for all items purchased by Uncle Sam and used by civil servants. More and more giant retailers like Walmart requires suppliers to use RFID technology. The German chain Metro Group, which operates 2.300 stores in Europe and Asia has required the same of their suppliers. Metro Group has gone even further with RFID to operate what they call the "Store of the Future", in which buyers do not have to remove items from carts to pay for them. Just switch from RFID readers and all items were recorded and paid. Metro stores provide RFID "loyalty cards" for consumers that identifies customers by reading within bags and wallets of consumers in and out of a 2300 Metro Store. The Business Week article in Metro Future Store Protest Target Stores announced this month that require suppliers to RFID tags in pallets and cases by 2005. U.S. lovers of privacy can not be for the "Big Brother" implications of such a system used by the German retail chain. An anti-RFID web site has been launched by privacy advocates and the name "Spychips" the ability of chips to track consumers and their buying habits to link personally identifiable information. A recent work by technology commentator Jeffrey Harrow has a description of how RFID can betray refrigeration consumers connect their movements and purchasing habits in a large database. Harrow is a consultant and analyst of emerging technologies. Often the comments on privacy in relation to the implementation of new technologies. -------------------------------------------------- ----------- Harrow paints a harrowing image of RFID readers. "The point is that all these sensors ... Also note the passage of his unique vehicle identification, the unique ID of the license, and identification number unique to every dollar bill in his wallet. ... And if all the major chains of computers and those of smaller stores made this mass of random information available for example, a company of marketing, or other shops along the road (for payment, of course), or govemental organization to demand, and a detailed picture of "you" - your travel habits, your spending habits (remember those individually tagged dollar?), nearly everything about you, it can be joint, combined and is cut so that we may or may not be agree. This could be the last "data mining" warehouse. " Harrow Technology Report: RFID is publicly discussed only by technology enthusiasts like Grada and some 'privacy advocates worried about the consequences of this "data warehouse". But, as RFID chips to replace bar codes in the next two years, when we heard from the advocates of privacy Big Brother implications become clearer with the consumer. Mark the calendar for early 2005 and are willing to time the storm comes from the protection of privacy, which could reach hurricane proportions.