It's Friday, folks! Time to pull up a bowl
of fresh popcorn and watch the fights!
(((In the red corner, the champion, "Derren
Bibby," (?!) chief technologist at IT services firm
Noblestar, who seems to have plenty of
corporate muscle but seems to be
entering a battle of wits more or less
unarmed.
http://news.zdnet.co.uk/hardware/emergingtech/0,39020357,39170565,00.htm
News > Hardware > Emerging Tech
Tuesday 19th October 2004
How to get consumers to swallow electronic tags
(((And in the blue corner, already getting
in a low blow in the headline before the
reportage even starts, is crafty, ringwise
veteran ****KATHERINE ALBRECHT***,
the closest thing that the arphid biz
has to a popular figure, the Naomi Klein
of Gizmology.)))
Graeme Wearden
ZDNet UK
October 18, 2004, 12:15 BST
One of RFID's proponents explains how to sell the technology to consumers, while privacy activists keep fighting to protect them from secret RFID tagging
(((Fair enough description of the battleground,
so let's move on!)))
Last week's Enterprise Wireless Technology show in London heard a†proponent of†radiofrequency identification (RFID) tags†explain†some of the techniques that retailers should use to overcome customer opposition to this new technology, which some privacy groups vehemently oppose.
(((You know it's real culture war when all
the casualties are basically "customers."
Darren isn't going to sock Katherine;
when there's damage done in a war
like this, it's 100 percent collateral
and inflicted on unwittinc civilians.)))
Derren Bibby, chief technologist at IT services firm Noblestar, delivered the keynote address on RFID and told his audience that companies who deploy RFID will "need to educate people" about the technology.
(((Hire a pro, Derren! You don't know
propaganda from a hole in the ground.)))
RFID tags, which are tiny chips that can be fitted to an object and tracked wirelessly, have generated a storm of controversy.
((("And I... I am a tech reporter! Watch me cover
the storm! Get me my raincoat and shouldercam!")))
Supporters say they will help retailers to run their supply chains and protect their goods from shoplifters. Opponents label them as a privacy nightmare that would give governments and big business the opportunity to monitor the behaviour and movement of citizens.
(((They're both dead right. That's why it's a war!)))
Bibby was dismissive of RFID opponents such as CASPIAN (Consumers Against Supermarket Privacy Invasion and Numbering).
(((The mere fact that he has to dismiss them
is an ominous sign for his side.)))
"They're some kind of fringe group in America. These are the kind of people you need to watch out for," said Bibby, adding that the group wasn't going to last long.
(((Hey Derren! Over here! You want to "watch out"
fot them? Try Google!)))
Google Search: RFID
RFID Journal
The only source for timely, objective news and information about RFID and its many business applications. ... Part 2: RFID in Healthcare. ...
www.rfidjournal.com/ - 27k - Oct 20, 2004 - Cached - Similar†pages
RFID Journal - Frequently Asked Questions
For answers to frquently questions about RFID technology and consumer privacy, see Privacy FAQs. ... What is RFID? How does an RFID system work? ...
www.rfidjournal.com/article/articleview/207 - 97k - Oct 20, 2004 - Cached - Similar†pages
[ More results from www.rfidjournal.com ]
AIM - The global trade assocation for automatic identification
... Covering technologies such as barcode, radio frequency Identification (RFID), card technologies (magnetic stripe, smart card, contactless card, optical card ...
www.aimglobal.org/technologies/rfid/ - 37k - Oct 20, 2004 - Cached - Similar†pages
Texas Instruments Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) and ...
TI-RFidô (Texas Instruments Radio Frequency Identification Solutions) offers the most extensive range of RFID and EPC transponder, reader and antenna ...
www.ti.com/home_tirfid - 23k - Oct 20, 2004 - Cached - Similar†pages
Spychips: RFID Privacy Website
... Click for our detailed website. Order Katherine Albrecht's video "RFID: Tracking Everything Everywhere.". ... RFID PRIVACY ISSUES AND NEWS. What is RFID? ...
www.spychips.com/ - 18k - Oct 20, 2004 - Cached - Similar†pages
RFID - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
RFID. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Radio frequency identification (RFID ... [edit]. History of RFID tags. Although some people think ...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RFID - 40k - Cached - Similar†pages
RFID, Inc. Radio Frequency Identification Products....!
RFID Inc. features radio frequency identification products, also offering ISO standard interchangeable products. ... Looking for a 5 or 10 cent RFID Tag? ...
www.rfidinc.com/ - 15k - Cached - Similar†pages
RFID tags: Big Brother in small packages | Perspectives | CNET ...
RFID tags: Big Brother in small packages | CNET News.com's Washington watcher Declan McCullagh says that retailers may love the concept of miniscule ...
news.com.com/2010-1069-980325.html - 46k - Oct 20, 2004 - Cached - Similar†pages
EPIC RFID Privacy Page
EPIC logo. Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) Systems. ... 1). Introduction. Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is a type of automatic identification system. ...
www.epic.org/privacy/rfid/ - 37k - Cached - Similar†pages
(((Katherine is number 5! Wikipedia, which you can't
buy ads on, is number 6! EPIC is bringing up the
rear! You're in the soup, dude.)))
Katherine Albrecht, director of CASPIAN and a doctoral researcher at Harvard University, (((She's a COLLEGE STUDENT, for God's sake!))) has fiercely rebutted the suggestion that her group don't represent widely-held views. She points out that research has found that around 70 percent of the public are concerned about the implications of RFID.
"I think his comments have real sinister overtones," Albrecht told ZDNet UK.
(((Yep! He painted himself black right there at
the podium!)))
"It's a shame not to think, 'maybe we are deploying a technology that has real privacy concerns' and reconsider it. Instead, their approach is 'How can we get this past people?'"
(((It's the truth! The guy is a geek and thinks
like a hacker. "Normal people never get this stuff,
so never mind the rules – let's just sneak
it in.")))
With RFID deployment expected to accelerate next year, Bibby suggested that retailers could try and persuade people that RFID tags could actually improve their lives. He painted a picture of a future†in which†a fridge could check the RFID tags on its contents, flagging up which food was about to pass its use-by date and even suggesting a recipe†that would†use†it up.
"If you sell that to consumers, they will be more accepting about the technology," he said.†
(((Yum! Of course, my real problem now is that
Derren lives in my fridge. And he's a relentlessly
clever guy without any detectable ethical concern
for my wellbeing.)))
Alternatively, retailers could set up a system on site to deactivate RFID tags on purchased items. Bibby claimed that few people at a RFID trial in Germany had bothered with this option, though.
(((Yep! We like our customers indifferent and stupid!)))
"It was hardly ever used. People don't seem that bothered about it [the RFID tags] in the end," Bibby said.
(((This isn't "the end," Derren. This is the *beginning.*
That's why a college student has ten times your
credibility.)))
Albrecht disputes that deactivating an RFID tag is so simple.
"The only way I know of doing it is to pop it into a microwave, and three times out of four the item catches fire," Albrecht said.
(((GREAT soundbite! Woo-hoo!)))
Others option offered by Bibby would be to attach RFID tags to 'swing tags' rather than directly to the item, so they can be snipped off at the counter, or to add a protective covering to the tag to prevent it being scanned.
(((Why don't you WAKE UP and DESIGN THE PRIVACY
CAPACITY INTO THE PRODUCT?)))
Last week the US Food and Drug Administration approved a plan to allow hospitals to place RFID tags under patients' skin. This caused widespread concern among privacy advocates, some of whom believe it is a sign that the RFID industry is poised to bulldoze through opposition and begin widespread deployment of tags.
(((The bull will be full of banderillas, though.
And the crowd will throw roses.)))
Albrecht says CASPIAN will continue to lobby for mandatory labelling of all RFID-tagged products, so that consumers would be aware when they bought a tagged product.
"We are not seeking a ban or regulation in any way – as we know the government would work any such regulation in its favour," explained Albrecht.
(((She's such a guerilla she can't even bother with
governments. Because they are already entirely
subject to regulatory capture.)))
