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Walmart Begins Rollout of RFID and EPC Tags

Posted by michael on from the mark-of-the-benton-beast dept.

paroneayea writes "There's a lot about RFID tags in the news today. Wal-Mart is officially beginning to use RFID tags on its merchandise. We've heard about Wal-Mart's plans to introduce RFID tags in the past, but this is the first time that this is actually being put into use. To quote the article: 'Wal-Mart is billing this as a trial, but Simon Langford, Wal-Mart's manager of RFID strategies, told RFID Journal that this is the beginning of the company's planned roll-out of EPC (Electronic Product Code) technology.' Meanwhile, California does something right for a change and introduces a bill that will limit the use of RFID tags in stores and libraries to protect the privacy of customers. IBM, which plans to be a major manufacturer of RFID tags, bashes critics of RFID tags as 'anti-retail.'"

2 of 462 comments (clear)

  1. I'd just like to point out... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    that these tags are going on the SHIPPING CONTAINERS! Not actual shelf-product. For example, take a shipment of blank video casettes. They arrive at the store in a box of 12. The box holding the 12 items is what has the RFID, not the tapes themselves. The tapes themselves still use the UPC tags that get scanned by a laser at the cash register.

    Result? Wal-Mart gets improvement in their shipping systems, not the Point-of-sale systems. Interestingly, it provides no improvement in loss control, something some wal-marts have serious problem with.

  2. Re:You know they're scared when... by ACNiel · · Score: 5, Informative

    The whole problem with them is they stay on your clothing, your shoes, your car tires, etc.

    If someone could associate your purchase of a jacket to you, maybe because you used a credit card to make the purchase, then that person or organization could track your movements across the world. The technology used to read the tags is relatively passive. You walk through a doorway with a tag on, and it could be scanned.

    This is the fear. It is unclear to me how unique the ID's are, and if they could be used this way.

    And as all RMS followers know, as soon as the information is collected, whether it is illegal or not, it will find a way to get into someones hands that you don't want to know it.