Walmart Begins Rollout of RFID and EPC Tags

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.'"

Comments

Nothing to worry about

[Anonymous Coward]

I see absolutely no problems here. If you're worried about your privacy, remove/disable the rfid tags onec you've purchased the products.
It's not as if there are any laws preventing you from tampering with products that you own ... oh, wait. The DMCA ... one step closer to 1984 ... well done Bu$h :(

Tin Foil Liner...

[the MaD HuNGaRIaN]

When I was lining the inside of my SUV with tin foil, my wife said "isn't the hat enough?"

I knew it was coming to this. Now I'm ready!

Once I leave the store, nobody will ever know what I bought (except Visa, my bank, and their business partners, and Walmart and their business partners, and whoever is behind me at the checkout, and the girl who checks me out, and the kid who bags it, and the old guy who checks my receipt, and the guys operating the 10,000 security cameras at the store).

Gimme a break

[Nikker]

I need to get this rant off my chest. Since when is it that a 6 figure executative (7 figure?) with intelegence especially from our buddies IBM is whining about what his/her customers want????

If she's getting off her a$$ to comment about it this opinion must be shared by more than a few people.

But just saying something like I think the RFID privacy movement is primarily an anti-retail movement, because no one is discussing this at all in manufacturing process control or its use in libraries (quote from linked article)

Common if I got paid to out right bitch like that with out looking at WHY my consumers were unhappy with my idea I would be SHOT on site!!

Why should I want to buy in on her idea?? Why do I care if retail dies??? Does she think that I will never be able to purchace, barter clothes, food, latest processors???

NO!!

don't let this BS fool you!!! You think WalMart is starving right now???
NO

You think these *MAGIC* RFID tags are gonna help us as consumers, not really, they just plan to shove gimmicks at us until they are happy.

The market right now is going through an information orgy. They want to know what color underwear we have on so they can stick it on their new "database" that was just sold to them by a friendly software sales man who just made a $hitload of CA$H off of them. Now the same company charges them even more to tell them, 'after extensive research of our findings, customer 19528 bought blank CD's and a memory key *most likely* (don't want to be sued if their wrong) owns a computer.'

And I am supposed to loose sleep over their problems??

HA >BR>
Just for that I am gonna write emails to anybody with an email address in the industry that I am *AGAINST* these RFID tags and make those lazy bastards EARN THEIR money for *ONCE* rather than bitch at your customer for not liking my IDEA !

Phew ok i'm done....

So does it run *Linux*???