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Benetton Says No to RFIDs ... For Now

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the its-only-a-matter-of-time dept.

securitas writes "In a dramatic reversal of Benetton's previously announced plans to embed RFID tags in all of its clothing, the retailer has responded to customer privacy concerns and canceled its plans to go ahead with the project. Wired News and ComputerWorld also have stories on this stunning turn of events, which RFID manufacturer Philips is undoubtedly unhappy about. Benetton says it 'reserves the right' to use RFIDs in the future."

4 of 146 comments (clear)

  1. If they can be destroyed easily.. by 1337_h4x0r · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Why not let them put them in? If some company makes an "RFID Neutralizer" that blasts them with 3000 watts like in a hair dryer type of configuration, buy your clothes, take them home, spray them, you're done. This thing should be easy and cheap.

  2. A Threat to Privacy? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I thought that these RFID transmitters had
    a range of 10-15 ft. Barring society installing
    scanners every 15 feet, how is this a threat
    to privacy? You probably have a better chance
    of being tracked by using your debit card than
    RFID technology.

  3. More accurately. . . by Fritz+Benwalla · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Benetton has said no to the publicity surrounding RFID tags.

    So this particular implementation got onto the radar screens - do we think this will actually go away? Not in the slightest. All Phillips and everyone else has to do is make some quiet deals that don't directly impact consumers, maybe some business-to-business product, then find a way to make RFID tags "important to homeland security" and it's off to the races.

    I have an idea for Philips, how about saying that RFID tags should be required on all products coming over the border from Mexico and into ports in the U.S. so that the Department of Homeland Security can better track them for suspicious shipment patterns? It would be a delicious use of both your lobbying power and the government's ability to shove intrusive technologies down our throats as long as they're slathered in a thick gravy of anti-terrorism.

    Sorry to be Mr. Cynical on this, but we just watched Benetton take a principled stand on nothing excepting being an RFID guinea pig. I give them two years before they're back on board.

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    Believe me, I'm as surprised by my comment as you are.
  4. What's the paranoia about? by joeflies · · Score: 5, Interesting
    I've seen the demonstrations of RFID and I think it's light years ahead of what's going on today. Who would have thought that with today's computer systems, we are still seeing manual labor produce laborious and erroneous inventory reports. And stores experimenting with self-checkout, like Home Depot and some grocery stores, are largely counting on the honor system instead of computers. Libraries are stil trying to work out the problems with self-checkout.

    Of course, I reserve the right to remove the tags after purchasing it (much like the alarm sensors put in CD/DVD cases nowadays), but while it's in the store, I wouldn't mind at all. The only groups I would have thought protesting this technology are the union workers doing inventory control now.