Gillette Pulls RFID Tags In UK Amid Protests

akb writes "Indymedia UK is reporting that after protests against the trial of RFID tags by Gillette at a Tesco store in Cambridge, increasing press coverage, a boycott, and the growing mobilisation of campaigners against the intrusive use of the technology, Gillette have withdrawn their trial. RFID (Radio Frequency ID) tags are small tags containing a microchip which can be 'read' by radio sensors over short distances (for background see SchNEWS Feature / 2 part Guardian Article)."

Comments

Re:RFIDs are Meaningless

[zalle]

There's just a bit of a problem with removing them. From the article: "The proposed EU Intellectual Property Enforcement Directive (see FIPR analysis) would specifically forbid Europeans from removing or deactivating Radio Frequency (RFID) tags embedded in clothing and other consumer devices!"

Re:Are there any good uses?

[Oxygen99]

Definitely, think in terms of distribution. The ability to track packages through a system or warehouse without needing any manual intervention improves efficiency exponentially. Using RFID in this context means no more barcodes, removing concerns around the ripped or unreadable labels that increase delays in getting the package to its destination.

I've also heard it used to track railway carriages at high speed as they pass through freight yards, so that freight companies can track which containers are on what train in what order. These uses don't infringe any civil liberties, and are very useful for companies in either of these fields. RFID tech can be misused, but like most things it can be used in a socially responsible and beneficial way too.

Re:protest

[H310iSe]

Range. I've been looking into using RFID tags, the range is horrible. With a -=large=- (1-2cm) ID tag, in good conditions (metal, in particular, seems to reduce the range), a $2,000 reader can read an RFID tag at 1 meter.

Now if you presume that readers range will increase dramatically and the costs will plummet then it's an issue. I'm not sure that's going to happen, though... from what I understand getting an RFID reader that could read a tiny tag on your stereo through your walls is, at this moment, more science-fiction than the space elevator.

RFID good use examp: Taipei Public transport cards

[martijnd]

The new "stored value" cards used in Taipei's public transport are using RFID. These are used for access to the subway system and by some of the bus companies.

Amazingly convinient; just wave your wallet next to the sensor and you can pass through. Don't need to bother about getting the actual card out; so they get points for cool technology value.

Made out of durable plastic the cards can be "recharged" when they run out of value saving on waste.

Oh, and you buy them by tossing some coins into a machine (no need for a DNA sample)

Still can't use them to buy soda or anything else..

Re:Are there any good uses?

[klaasvakie]

We keep hearing about the bad uses for RFID technology, but do people know of any good uses that don't invade on our privacy?

Yes. When I was a student I did some vac. work for a company that manufactures RFID tags. They aren't the like the very small tags used by gillette, but are bigger and have much more range (30m). Some of the things we used them for:

1. Automitic Lap and split timing at motorcycle races and off-road rally's.
2. Embedding them into conveyor belts (with some modification). If the belt breaks or tears, the tag stops responding and the conveyor shuts down.
3. Tagging ostriches. Males and females need different types of food, if a female approaches the food bowl, one side opens, if a male approaches the food bowl, the other side does.
4. Tagging cattle. Weighing each cow as they come in at night, coupled to the tag in it's ear. Weight loss is an early indication of disease and other aspects of cattle farming that I do not fully understand.
5. Tagging gas canisters used for welding. When the truck leaves the company knows exactly what bottles are leaving and where they are going so they can get them back. (These canisters are often stolen)

There are hundreds of ways to use tags in a good way, you can tag the product, but do not make a link between the product and the person that buys it.

Re:Are there any good uses?

[seldolivaw]

The London Underground (the subway system in London) has recently launched a new ticketing system based on RFID. Instead of buying the usual paper tickets with magnetic strips to run through the readers, you instead get a credit-card sized "Oystercard" which has been loaded with info on the ticket you've paid for. As you approach the barriers, instead of having to dig your card out of your wallet and feed it through, you just wave your whole wallet at the reader, and it checks your ticket and opens up to let you through.

This reduces wear and tear on tickets (and hence makes good sense environmentally -- no more millions of paper tickets daily) and is also a hell of a lot quicker. Plus, if you lose the card, they simply invalidate that card and give you a new one with the same virtual ticket on it. Since an annual ticket can be worth nearly 1000 (about US$1500) a way to avoid losing your travelcard is great!

I love this use of RFID; my oystercard gets delivered today :-)