The Trouble with RFID

wintermute42 writes "Simson Garfinkel, author of Practical Unix & Internet Security along with Gene Spafford and Alan Schwartz, has an article in The Nation on RFID tags. They're not just for tracking stuff. They can track you too."

Comments

Tracking? No, more like targetting!

[31415926535897]

You're thinking about this all wrong. Take off your tin-foil hats, nobody really wants to 'track' you.

Now, what companies will really be salivating over is the opportunity to market to you. If they can track all of the RFID tags on and around you, they can know so much about you that they can tailor advertising to you specifically. Just like Minority Report, only not so cool.

Just think of it as value adding. You're adding so much value to the coffers of manufacturers and advertisers!

Get a clue

[dabadab]

Technology is not the problem.
The problem is (as always was and always will be) how people use a technology.
RFID (or any other technology) is not necessary for a police state as demonstrated by many examples in the past.
You privacy can be (or most probably: was) violated without RFID too.
To protect your privacy you need a society that values privacy and have laws that express this. If you do not have that then you are swimming against the flow and your are doomed to failure, no matter if RFID is used or not.
I would like to point out Europe: there are privacy laws that basically say the following:

• Personal information can only be collected with your approval (or if mandated by a law)
• This information can only be gathered for specific purposes (of which you must be informed) and may only stored for a set period of time, which can not be unreasonably long.
• You can request access to the information about you and request correction or deletion
• Your info must be kept confidental and correct
• Your personal information can be given to a third party only if the above requirements are fulfilled

If you have such laws (and have them enforced) then there is no need to fear RFIDs - but if you don't have them, RFIDs should be the least of your worries.

Re:Anyone with two feet and perhaps access to a ca

[4of12]

Here's an idea for a new community project: Mega RFID Vest Library

Go to the dump where multiple people are throwing away RFID-laden products. Snag the lil suckers off discarded food products, garments, appliances, liquor bottles, baby food.

Sew them onto a vest.

Lots of `em.

When you walk through the scanner you'll be ...... 246 different people.

Then, trade vests with others in other cities, other countries!