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Blocker Tags to Protect Privacy From RFID Tags
geekee writes "According to an article at CNET, RSA Security is developing a 'blocker' tag that disrupts RFID tag transmissions, protecting a person's privacy from those who would abuse RFID technology. The blocker tag would be embedded in your watch, for instance. This method has an advantage over destroying the RFID tags after purchase because useful information on the tag could help consumers (e.g. laundry instructions)." According to the RSA scientist quoted in the article, privacy concerns regarding RFID have been overblown, but it's still worth being proactive when finding ways to defeat the tags.
If we let companies use these tag's, we are saying to them "We are ok with this." And of cource in the future (near or far) they will click it up a notch. Sooner or later, they will invade more of our privacy, under the guise of "targeted advertising". Weather there is much privacy lost or not is not an issure, the fact than we are allowing this to happen shows the companies our mindset. We are not going to fight back aganst these kinds of intrustions. Or are we?
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Wear the signal blocker and get stopped EVERY TIME you walk out of a store.
Good tradeoff, eh?
...but the price of Freedom is eternal vigilantism.
i believe that the price of freedom is eternal vigilance. that's pretty funny, though.
I have no faith in a blocking tag. Retailers will set off alarms every time you leave a store if you block their signals and readers will be made to defeat them in time. All you will get out of this evil technology is more grief, just like the phone system. The root of the problem, customer data retention and sale, is what needs to be addressed.
Friends don't help friends install M$ junk.
Building an RF-sheilded cage is NOT illegal; transmitting on frequencies you have no license to transmit on is illegal. While "jamming" cell frequencies may be illegal, it would be perfectly legal for a theater to embed well-grounded copper mesh in their walls and ceiling, effectively making cell phone communication impossible. Why don't they do it? Because they would lose customers!
"Freedom means freedom for everybody" -- Dick Cheney
So a great part of the RFID hype is over preventing theft. When they are implimented, and theft rates drop, will they drop their prices too? They (corporations) claim that theft and other losses have a large effect on prices. Do you think they will prove themselves wrong?
Along the lines of buildign a better mousetrap: How long will it take a theif to discover a way to neutralize these tags? What happens when a person walks out of a store with a cart that has 30% of the tags inactive? How will anyone know that s/he hasn't paid for everything?
No, it's not legal. You're intentionally circumventing anti-theft technology. The DMCA says you're a felon if you use it.
You'll be intentionally jamming radio transmissions. The FCC won't like that either. Don't try to say "it's unlicensed spectrum", you're still intentionally blocking legal radio communications traffic. Police radar is also unlicensed spectrum, you can have your own unlicensed transmitter, just by purchasing a radar gun. Many internal security systems use radar for detection of intruders. If you get caught with a jammer for police radar, you are screwed.
RFID jamming will be prosecuted the same way.
If you really wonder about the legality, just ask yourself, who benefits from RFID? Who benefits from blocking RFID? Which one owns more law-writers? (Excuse me, vote-sellers. The laws themselves have been written by lobbyists for a very long time now.)
********* sig: If you don't like the law, get filthy stinking rich, and buy a better one.
Well, if they were breaking the law.
Ohhh, but how did they determine "if"? Maybe the police should be allowed to enter everyones home and listen to everyones phone calls to search for something illegal. If they happen to find something, that's another criminal behind bars.
Remember the infared detectors police thought would be great for to catch people growing drugs in their basements? Luckily, that was shot down by the Supreme Court.
Bad boys rape our young girls but Violet gives willingly.
It's the 21st century, surely we can produce materials that simply stands up to washing and drying without needing special attention?
All my laundry does. That's because I'm a nerd (not particularly proud of it, but it is what it is.) On the other hand, there are people out there who want to wear silk and angora sweaters and other substances besides denim and cotton, and don't particularly care that it has to be carefully washed.
The only way that I can see it working is if stores keep a record of all RFIDs that they have in stock, and then only charge you if the RFID matches when you walk out.
How are they planning to actually administrate that? Scan all products on the way in? So they shove a pallet full of Chocolate Frosted Sugar Bombs though their stock door and a mondo scanner reads the RFIDs off of every box? Or do they scan a barcode or type in a code that just says what should be on the stack?
What I'm interested in is the possibility of deliveries getting screwed up and RFIDs getting entered into the wrong systems. There's the problem with buying something at store X then store Y thinking that it belongs to them, but there's a problem for the stores as well. If you want to buy something and for some reason the RFID isn't on their system, how do they sell it to you? And should you buy it, knowing that the RFID might appear on their or store Y's system at some point?
And given that the biggest theft problem that many stores (especially supermarkets) face is employee theft, do they need RFID scanners on all their doors? If stock does go missing while it's still on the system, what happens to those RFID numbers? Do they just sit in there indefinitely, or is there a plan for removing them? What happens when Joe Customer walks in wearing or carrying something that he's bought second hand from an employee or shoplifter who obtained a five finger discount?
It won't take many of these incidents to put a hell of a dent in consumer confidence over RFID, quite aside from the privacy issue of stores knowing that you're wearing a rubber g-string and fishnet stockings under your suit pants.
If you were blocking sigs, you wouldn't have to read this.