Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

RFID Not Just for Kids

Posted by samzenpus on from the big-brother-carney dept.

dritan writes "News.com is reporting that a theme park in Florida is tagging all members of your group when you enter. The park has kiosks throughout the park that let you find the other members of your group in "real time." The park's web site makes it seem that you will only be able to find members of your group, instead of seeing everyone in the park. Slashdot has previously reported about tagging kids with RFID in order to keep track of them."

15 of 335 comments (clear)

  1. And now, for your delectation and delight... by gowen · · Score: 4, Insightful

    ... slashdotters will spot the magic phrase "RFID", and remember that this is something the hivemind has told them they're against. They will proceed to explain why a private entity using RFID tags -- entirely on its own property -- to track and locate lost children is an appalling infringement of their civil liberties.

    This should be good.

    --
    Athletic Scholarships to universities make as much sense as academic scholarships to sports teams.
    1. Re:And now, for your delectation and delight... by DrXym · · Score: 5, Insightful
      Lost children is a convenient explanation. I'm sure the park can't actually use the technology to see which bits of the park are most popular, where the best place to put concessions, what ride lengths need shortening to maximize throughput or anything like that. Oh no.

      It's to track kids - never mind that it tracks everyone whether they have kids in tow or not.

      But if it finds a few lost kids then great. Who can disagree with that? Unless of course it might substantially lessen a child's safety.

      Why? Well the parents will be more inclined to leave a tagged child on his / her own because he / she can be tracked. As a consequence there are more separated children within the park. Even an unsophisticated abducter could just grab a random lone child and make a beeline for the exit - once out the park the RFID is no good. A smarter abductor would remove the RFID tag first. A smarter one yet might use the RFID to find out the where the parents were in order to avoid them before discarding it.

      In other words, it's hard to see how an RFID helps that much at all. It will help in your everyday lost child situation, but it instills a false sense of security at the same time.

      Perhaps it is better that kids are chaperoned by their parents rather than tracked by chips after all.

    2. Re:And now, for your delectation and delight... by Coryoth · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I use to work in data mining software for casinos. The only thing they'd love more than RFID tagging everyone that walks in the door is being able to get personal data (age, sex, address, income...) logged against each tag. If casinos can find an ecuse to do this, believe they will. They already track people in every possible way they can, and have a myriad of tools to slice and dice that data to squeeze every last penny out.

      Which means it is no surprise at all to me that the theme park is largely using this for data collection purposes to optimise layouts and rides. As you say "finding lost children" is just the convenient limp excuse to get the system in place. After a while people will just take it for granted.

      At the same time - there's really nothing at all wrong with this. In a sense they're just trying to provide the best service possible, and it's their property, so really they can do what they like. You dont want to be RFIDd and tracked? Don't go to that theme park. Nobody is forcing you to go there.

      Jedidiah.

      --
      Craft Beer Programming T-shirts
  2. and.. by Turn-X+Alphonse · · Score: 4, Insightful

    link you to any vandalism or trouble making.

    They can pin point your location so lets say a little boy and a "older man" magicly end up in the same toilet cubicle..... well then :)

    Could be very useful for this kinda thing

    --
    I like muppets.
  3. Theme parks freak me out.. by k98sven · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Am I the only one who is gets a bit freaked out by theme parks?

    Sure, there is this nice image of happiness and friendliness.. but it's also obviously fake and false. (Even as a 7-year old at disneyland, I felt it)

    At the same time, there are guards and surveillance cameras everywhere, not to mention the rigorous safety measures.

    It's like being inside a Soviet propaganda movie or something.

    And that was before they started tagging people. I can't say I'm surprized.

  4. get it right by simonharvey · · Score: 4, Insightful
    this is about tagging kids in theme parks so their friends can see if they are there, it is nothing to do with peoples rights being violated online.

    move on, nothing to see here

  5. Seems OK by neilmoore67 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    OK, I not a die-hard libertarian, but this seems like a good idea. This is not the same as tracking someone's movements all the time, as a theme park is ostensibly not the real world. It should stop kids from being getting lost; and it would save school and youth organisation groups from having to hammer around in those big chain gangs with flags, etc.

    --
    You've probably noticed that people's noses get bigger as they get older. That's because old people are huge liars.
  6. Is it voluntary? by usefool · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Slashdot says the park is tagging everybody, but the article says it's issuing tags to everyone. So is the park really 'tagging' everyone as they enter? Like what happens to cows?

    Anyway, unless it's mandatory, it should be okay. It's pretty close to being watched by CC cameras when you wonder around a department store.

    --
    Uselessful technology (Air-Charged
  7. RFID responsible use by Xerxes2695 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    RFID is IMO not inherently "evil". It is a tool, like a screwdriver. Now, a screwdriver can be used to turn screws, or it can be plunged into someone's head. RFID is fine with me, as long as:

    1. I know it's being used
    2. I'm not required to use it
    3. I can turn it off

  8. This sounds like an exciting new tool! by Ghostgate · · Score: 5, Insightful

    • ... for stalkers.
  9. in the workplace by fishmonkey · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I wonder when workplaces will start using rfid in security badges to monitor start and finish times, lunch breaks, toilet breaks etc..

    --
    generic
    1. Re:in the workplace by WegianWarrior · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Son't you mean "when workplaces did start using RFID..."?
      Some places have already done so in Europe - to make sure the empolyees don't "forget" to punch out when they leave for lunch, or even worse (at least from the employees point of view) forget to punch back in when they return.

      Raises questions? Sure it does - how can you be sure they don't monitor restbreaks and whatnot as well. Makes life simpler? Sure it does - as long as you remember your card.

      --
      Everything in the world is controlled by a small, evil group to which, unfortunately, no one you know belongs.
  10. Ski passes by tree_frog · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Most of these have RFI tags in them. Seems like a good idea to me, for fairly ovious reasons.

    Regards,

    treefrog

  11. looking for kids... by zxflash · · Score: 5, Insightful

    as long as the technology can't be used by pervs to find kids that are alone... the technology is more of a threat than an aide for groups if it isn't implemented properly...

    finding loopholes in this type of system isn't something that you can afford to do after it's been widely put into use.

    --

    All the torrents you could want.
  12. Re:sigh... by CountBrass · · Score: 4, Insightful

    You allow your 8 year old to wander off by herself? FFS what kind of a parent are you?

    --
    Bad analogies are like waxing a monkey with a rainbow.