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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.
I haven't ever seen one, nor have I heard of any stores stocking merchandise equipped with them, but the price of Freedom is eternal vigilantism.
Wonder how this would affect shoplifting? Just wear the watch and walk out $0 deducted from your bank account?!
Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam
Interested in AI? MACR
Juels said that he foresees a day when tags in clothes can tell washing machines the proper way they need to be washed.
This just seems like really stretching for a scenario in which RFID tags will be useful beyond inventory tracking (What happens when 5% of your laundry says "warm" and the rest says "hot")?
Before paying RSA for advanced laundry stealth technology, I think I'd first try something a little more straightforward, like a few seconds in my microwave.
~ Whence do you come, slayer of men, or where are you going, conqueror of space?
Just remember to take off your RFID blocker watch before trying to get on a plane. Try explaining THAT to airport security:
You: "It's a watch that protects my privacy from the invasive government by sending out waves of non-dangerous radiation!"
Them: "Terrorist!"
You: "But it's just radio wa-wahhhhhhh!" *getting taken away in handcuffs*
is that legal to block radio frequency? Isn't it the same problem that movie theaters came across when they wanted to block cell phones' frequency but they can't because of the law?
IANAL, but I think it may not be legal!
Montreal - Best city to live in!
I here Wynona Ryder has already order a bunch of these!
"Freedom means freedom for everybody" -- Dick Cheney
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?
OMG OMG OMG WTF OMG WTF BBQ STFU RTFM, OMFG OMG OMG OMG ROFL LMAO OMG WTF STFU ROFLMAO
"If ye love wealth greater than liberty, the tranquility of servitude greater than the animating contest for freedom, go home from us in peace. We seek not your counsel, nor your arms. May your chains set lightly upon you. Crouch down and lick the hand that feeds you; and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen." - Samuel Adams
This is not meant to be a hostile tool," Juels said. "It balances consumer privacy and retail use in a profitable way...Tags are too useful to completely disable them."
if these tags cost only 10 cents, why can't we completely disable them? it's not like were going to reuse them or use them at all outside of warehouses and stores, there doesn't seem to be any practical use for them in the home
This sig is definitive. Reality is frequently inaccurate.
Will that be your story after someone is sued or prosecuted based on RFID evidence? How many people will have to fall before you become concerned?
No, you can keep right on selling them.
You should write and thank them.
I don't think these devices would even be remotely practical for another 3-4 years when RFID's will be prevalent
3 or 4 years aren't all that unreasonable considering they have to do the R&D (i.e. get the blocker down to a chip manufacturable for under 10 cents) and find consumer product manufacturers willing to partner with them to get it into the consumer market.
Tech Public Policy stuff
What a concept! Near the end of the article is the quote about how hard it would be to add the blocking capability at a later time. I would hope these guys are looking at a LOT of security aspects to this technology before they unleash it everywhere. Interestingly, Business 2.0 is currently running an article on Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad (BNSF) and how they have just now really begun to get "wired". Naturally, they are using a lot of RFID technology to track their rail cars. As recently as ten years ago (when I interviewed with them) they were still using paper and pencil. Sometimes an engineer would stop a train and call back to the dispatcher on a pay phone. Bring on the RFID's. MOM, I want a train!
In principio erat Verbum.
If only we could get some RSA technology to block this guy from continuing to contribute bogus posts.
Seriously, the whole thing reminds me of Sylvester McBean's magical Star-On Star-Off Machine.
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.
It's the 21st century, surely we can produce materials that simply stands up to washing and drying without needing special attention?
Boffoonery - downloadable Comedy Benefit for Bletchley Park
One of the advantages being promoted for the tags is that you'll be ableto take a shopping cart, just run it through the checkout line, and the scanner and RFID tags will quickly add up everything in your cart. You can expect this technology to become as prevalent as bar codes are now. But with such a system and tags that are not disabled after you leave the store, you're likely to end up being charged again for your shirt, or watch, or underware or shoes or some item in your pocket with an embedded tag if you are close to the cart when it is scanned. It will become the new way of scamming the customers, soon to exceed the scan prices often being higher than the shelf price but never being lower.
I'm an American. I love this country and the freedoms that we used to have.
Wow, this is awesome !! This is one step closer to things like, watch-sized EMP death rays.
I've always wanted an EMP in my watch.
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And the Angel said unto me, "These are the cries of the carrots! The cries of the carrots!"
just place clothes in microwave, high power for 10 seconds
:)
no rfid
just dont touch that zipper (ouch hottt)
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?
On a tin-foil-hat note: this is how freedoms are taken away.
- "It's for convienence!"
- "But it'll save time... no one is going to monitor what types of razor blades you buy."
- "If you just swipe your finger, you'll check out quicker, save time and money 5% off to customers who use RFID!"
- "I'm sorry, but it's a requirement that all people have RFID tags in their heads. well, people were cutting off their fingers to not be tracked by us. And anyone who doesn't submit to InstaTrace is considered a criminal."
I hate to sound like a Montanian, but consider this when security and freedoms are concerned (I forget who said it, didn't bother googling)."When you draw a line in the sand, and step over it, it does not appear to be a big step from your last position, so you allow it. But if you continue to allow it, over time, you will realize (albeit, probably too late) that you do not have your original position in sight as you turn around."
When modding "Informative", please make sure it both has a source and IS actually informative.
I have just received my patent on an RFID Blocker Blocking Mechanism.
It is a small 8.4oz radioactive device that is spot welded to any part of the merchandise which emits shrill radio signals in the 3Ghz spectrum culled from the choruses of 6 random songs from the 70s group ABBA. No device, person, or bat can overcome that!!!!
After that it will be the RFID blocker blocker blocking mechansim!
Man, these RFID people are getting desperate. First it was "it'll stop theft". Then it was "It'll keep food from getting spoiled/infected. And that'll keep food safe from....TERRORISTS!"(Don't worry, I missed that train of thought too, but the T word is like 'dot com' was a couple years ago, so...) Now it's "it'll help you do your laundry." If you can't remember how a certain shirt gets washed by the time the little printed tag wears out, you either need fewer clothing, or a brain. Besides, what's the washing machine gonna do, scream at you like your mom/girlfriend/wife/CowboyNeal would, for mixing the underwear with the christmas socks? How useful.
Now, of course, I have one question- I assume there'll be maybe two bits for water temperature(cold, cold/warm, warm, hot), two bits for fragile-ness(delicate, knit, perm, regular), maybe two bits for color-compatibility(how much it bleeds) and color(dark, color, white, etc).
The question is- can we get an Evil Bit added?
Please help metamoderate.
I think it would be cool to have a system where a device sends out all (or many) RFIDs to confuse a reciever.
Another thought is that it could send out a bunch of random RFIDs thus (hopefully) protecting anonymity but keeping statistics useful?
These things contain unique IDs. A shop will only be scan out and charge for an item that it has identified as being in stock. Once it's been purchased and scanned out of the system if you go back to the store (or another store) you won't be charged because that store knows it doesn't have a product with that ID to sell.
Boffoonery - downloadable Comedy Benefit for Bletchley Park
If it's possible to detect the source of a blocking tags, you could just be attracting far more attention to yourself in a store. Instead of a machine monitoring you, you could have a security guard...
What size range would the holes in a screen need to be to block RFID frequencies? I think it might be nice to embed such a mesh in the lining of a purse or jacket...
Cool! I'll just incorporate a few anti-RFID tags into my tinfoil hat, and then let's see the CIA try their thought-control lasers on me!
When all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a skull.
I'm actually looking forward to these things. They should be easy to get and hack. Imagine the look on the salespersons face when their scanners indicate that you are currently wearing four truck tires and a goldfish.
In case anyone wants to read the original paper on this it's at:
l o-TheBlockerTag.pdf
http://theory.lcs.mit.edu/~rivest/JuelsRivestSzyd
This reminds me of the discovery of X-Rays. New glasses were sold that supposedly allowed you to see through clothes and then new clothes that supposedly blocked X-Rays...
Future Wiki -- If you don't think about the future, you cannot have 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.
All I want to know is when the military can start RFID-ing bullets and dog-tags. Think of the body count logistics! And then they could prove that none of their bullets were used to kill innocent civilians.
Oh wait forget it
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IANAL but my sister is and she gets really shitty about this.
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Because they're so small you could hide them near the scanners and ensure they don't work at all. Of course it'll piss off the repair people. Doesn't work in the store. As soon as you take it away it does.
Nerd: Derogatory term typically directed at anybody with a lower Slashdot ID than you.
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.
All speculation about EMF puleses, legality of blocking transmission by flooding a given frequency, etc. : That ain't how RSA's tag works.
When an RFID reader senses multiple tags, it "walks" a binary tree to find each tag in range. RSA's proposed 'blocker' tag responds to every branch of the tree... to the reader it appears that all tags are present, thus making it impossible to determine which tags are in reality present. The blocker tag obeys or violates laws or regulations exactly the same as a 'regular' tag... because it's doing the exact same thing, except it answers for every branch point. No EMF, no 'interference', no 'scrambling', nothing bad, just verbose!