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Instead of removing the battery, or installing a privacy switch on the microphone, why don't you just put your cell phone in a metal container to block all electronic signals. Here's an example that is used for passports: http://www.mobilecloak.com/mobilecloak/

The tin foil hat doesn't work well.

What you really need is an outfit and shopping bag made of this material;

http://www.mobilecloak.com/

That will stop the RFID's.

Of course, these will certainly be illegal once Walmart goes to RFID cash registers, for obvious reasons.

I always thought an RF shielded backpack would be a nice idea, and after a lot of googling I found This would work nicely.
Would also make it easy to shoplift from stores that use RF to track items.

Probably worth stocking up on before someone finds a way to make them illegal. Word it right and you could get a lot of people behind a bill banning them (you know, the "What do you have to hide?" crowd mixed with some aforementioned stealing possibility)

I'm getting myself one of these

Block all signals to and from wireless devices:

Personal Cloaking device

or

mobile Cloak

RFID is present technology not new technology, it's already in products available today.


Gillette Confirms RFID Purchase

Update: Gillette has confirmed that it will purchase up to 500 million RFID tags from Alien Technology.

Jan. 7, 2003 - The Gillette Company confirmed yesterday that it has placed a major order for RFID tags from Alien Technology. Neither Gillette nor Alien indicated how much Gillette would pay for the tags, or the terms of delivery. Alien's Pounds Still, the announcement is a milestone of sorts because it is the first commercial order for products that incorporate the Electronic Product Code (EPC) developed by the Auto-ID Center. It is also the first multi-million dollar order Alien has received.

RFID Journal broke the news that Gillette planned to purchase 500 million RFID tags on Nov. 15 after Gillette VP Dick Cantwell told a private meeting of the Auto-ID Center's board about the company's plans (see Gillette to Buy 500 Million EPC Tags). Cantwell said then that Gillette would buy 500 million EPC tags from Alien.

However, Gillette's press release indicates that it may purchase may fewer than half a billion tags. It says: "Gillette will begin testing tag technology through its supply chain by placing RFID tags in select products for the US market. If successful, up to half a billion tags could be placed on Gillette products over the next few years."

Tom Pounds, Alien's VP of marketing and business development, told RFID Journal that there are terms and conditions that would allow Gillette to order less than 500 million tags. However, he added that Gillette has committed to purchasing "a significant chunk of that total."

Gillette plans to use the tags with smart shelf technology that was also developed for Gillette by the Auto-ID Center. The smart shelves, which have built-in RFID readers, will be tested in stores in the US and UK beginning this month, as part of the third phase of the center's field test.

mCloak

They will

Auto ID Center

The flip side mobile Cloak

It's been Done Already

mobileCloak

Hast--

As the rule goes, "Bad security is worse than no security, because with bad security, you think you're secure -- with no security, you know you're not."

It's not entirely true, of course, since there is no perfect security and thus everything posesses some degree of badness. But in the barcode case, people have responded to the triviality of shoplifting by attacking hard-to-remove ink and radio attachments to devices before sale. RFID systems are being sold as a replacement for this; everything will have a tag -- even after you buy it -- so the door will be able to sense you walking out of it with anything you might try to shoplift.

And yes, you yourself will have an RFID tag on your "Safeway Club Card" or whatnot; they'll cross reference who you are vs. what you purchased and alert if there's something expensive extra. Turns out it doesn't even need to be the club card from that store -- any ol' one will do, as they can silently interrogate your wallet while you're standing in line. (This is yet another reason for the squeeze tech.)

What's funny is that there's a decent cost to throwing on these security measures that'll be removed anyway, better to just make the authenticators ship with the goods and disposable. But you see, once it's convenient to keep after purchase, look what suddenly gets much more powerful...

Your statement about cryptography is quite accurate. But barcodes do have some major security to them, compared to radio systes -- line of sight.

Yours Truly,

Dan Kaminsky
DoxPara Research
http://www.doxpara.com

"Do anything within your power to stop this"

http://www.mobilecloak.com

The off switch for always on mobile wireless.
A simple method of making your wireless stuff invisible to any other wireless stuff or signal that would want to communicate with it.

wrap it in foil... or cloak it

http://www.mobilecloak.com

The off switch for always on mobile wireless.
A simple method of making your wireless stuff invisible to any other wireless stuff

http://www.mobilecloak.com

The off switch for always on mobile wireless.
A simple method of making your wireless stuff invisible to any other wireless stuff or signal that would want to communicate with it.

http://www.mobilecloak.com

The off switch for always on mobile wireless.
A simple method of making your wireless stuff invisible to any other wireless stuff or signal that would want to communicate with it.

already have

http://www.mobilecloak.com

The off switch for always on mobile wireless.

A simple method of making your wireless stuff invisible to any other wireless stuff or signal that would want to communicate with it.

A simple method of making your wireless stuff invisible to any other
wireless stuff or signal that would want to communicate with it.

www.mobilecloak.com


It blocks RF signals, 10MHz to 20 GHz from leaving or entering the bag.
It's cool for EZ Pass, cell phones, and RFID tags.