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Errant E-Mail Shames RFID Backer

Posted by Hemos on from the the-joys-of-digging-up-dirt dept.

An anonymous reader writes "An article appearing in Wired today describes how the The Grocery Manufacturers of America inadvertently sent an embarrassing internal email to anti-RFID consumer group CASPIAN"

3 of 60 comments (clear)

  1. Don't overreact. by Raven42rac · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Don't overreact. These are not the Diebold memos, it is just some woman who sent a non-funny joke back to the victim of the joke by accident. I don't see what the hubub is about. Granted, getting RFID awareness is good, but this story was a waste of time save for some of the info about RFID technology.

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    I hate sigs.
    1. Re:Don't overreact. by fuzzybunny · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Well, kind of depends.

      If it's just a lame attempt at a joke, that's one thing. On the other hand, if the GMA guy's boss told him "find personal information on this Albrecht chick, she's being difficult", and the mail was a response to that, I'd be very concerned.

      If the latter is the case, the Wired article was very very tame considering how much of an embarrassment this would be for GMA. Digging up personal dirt on your business opponents, although it's done all the time, is simply not kosher tactics, and if an industry lobby and interest group is publicly admitting that it engages in this sort of unsavory activity to get its points across, then the average slob should know about it.

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      Cole's Law: Thinly sliced cabbage
  2. Re:It... by reinard · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Batteries? Have you ever even read anything about RFID technology? They don't have batteries, which is the only reason for their limited range. They get power directly from the radio waves.

    RFID tags in the packaging? They are now weaving them into of clothing, they are inside your tires, and in the handle of your razor.

    Disable them? Try microwaving your tire...

    The concern is that they don't deactivate themselves. And almost any RFID tag can be read by almost any RFID reader. So your boss can start checking how often you change your underwear, and indirectly can track you around the building by the tags in your clothing. Your car could be tracked at every intersection.

    It's not that there is an inherent problem, it's just ripe for abuse, and big step towards slipping into a police state.

    Most of us just don't want to get anywhere near there. There is most definitely a need for concern.

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    Reinard