Delta Air Invests $25 Million in RFID for Luggage

securitas writes "The New York Times' Barnaby Feder reports on Delta Air Lines' plans to invest $25 million in RFID luggage tracking hardware and software over the next two years. This sounds very similar to the Jacksonville Airport RFID plan. McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas and Hong Kong International Airport have also announced plans to use RFID technology in their operations. More at the Cincinnati Enquirer and the Boston Globe."

Comments

RFID == Invasion of Privacy

[ObsessiveMathsFreak]

RFID scanning is the equilvilent of an illegal search.
RFID's primary purpose is to track the buying and movement habits of consumers. Retailers and marketers in paticular are pushing this technology, because in essence, they want to know everything about you. They claim it's for inventory and supply chain purposes but they're lying. They _Want_ your data, and will do whatever it takes to rape you for it.

Remember the Ad scence in Miority Report. Imagine that, but with ads personalised to you:
"Morning Sir! Why not buy your favourites! TechUniverse Magazine and Playster Mag Together with your favourite cola, Kolka-Kola!"
"Good day sir!! See as how you have One--Hundred--And--Thirty--Dollars on you why not buy seat covers for that Forelet car you bought last week."
"Oh sorry sir. Only people without RFID blockers can enter. Please turn off yours now so we can find out who you are and where you got it and can report your subversive ass to Homeland Security."

RFID offers minimal advantages over barcodes for inventory purposes and does nothing for supply chains, as when goods are purchased, the transaction is logged anyway. Their _Primary_ purpose is to spy on us. RFID tags have now been developed to survive washing, when the clothes they're in are placed in the machine. Now why would you need that if you only wanted it for inventory purposes.

Of course governments love all this, because when your luggage(and indeed you) go through the airport, they can examine every single item you have, analysie it's history, where it was bought, who owned it, how much it's worth. They'll be able to track everyone, everywhere, everytime. And for anyone who thinks this won't affect anyone in the US or EU, spare a thought for the people living under the current Chinese administration. You think the party _Won't_ use this technoloy?

Hands up everyone who DOESN'T think these RFID systems will be used to track peoples movements.

Also Hands up everyone who thinks these measure make us in any way safer.