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You Need Not Be Paranoid To Fear RFID

An anonymous reader writes "A story at the Boston Globe covers extensive privacy abuses involving RFID." From the article: "Why is this so scary? Because so many of us pay for our purchases with credit or debit cards, which contain our names, addresses, and other sensitive information. Now imagine a store with RFID chips embedded in every product. At checkout time, the digital code in each item is associated with our credit card data. From now on, that particular pair of shoes or carton of cigarettes is associated with you. Even if you throw them away, the RFID chips will survive. Indeed, Albrecht and McIntyre learned that the phone company BellSouth Corp. had applied for a patent on a system for scanning RFID tags in trash, and using the data to study the shopping patterns of individual consumers." I think they may be going a little overboard with their stance, but it's always interesting to talk about.

14 of 509 comments (clear)

  1. The course of action here is obvious... by raehl · · Score: 4, Funny

    Patent tin-foil garbage bags.

  2. Are you out of your mind????? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    Don't you realise this is essential to stop terrorism????? Think of the children for a change instead of these stupid "rights" or whatever they're called.

  3. Physical counteraction by ettlz · · Score: 4, Funny

    Surely this is nothing a drill*/pair of scissors/giving up smoking/strong high-frequency magnetic field couldn't solve. After all, it's your RFID chip. So destroy it!

    *You probably shouldn't try this if the chip is on a condom.

  4. Re:Just put them in your microwave by Joakim+A · · Score: 5, Funny

    > How do oyu microwave your brand new microwave?
    Simple, buy a new micro that fits inside your old one.

    > Will the DVD you just bought be playable or writable?
    I doubt that the micro can do either.

  5. Yeah, rivetting subject... by richy+freeway · · Score: 5, Funny
    but it's always interesting to talk about.

    I think you may be confusing RFID with womens beach volleyball.

  6. Re:Just put them in your microwave by Zog+The+Undeniable · · Score: 5, Funny
    How do you microwave your brand new microwave?

    Or, as the Roman poet Juvenal might have said, Quis microwavet ipsos microwaves?

    --
    When I am king, you will be first against the wall.
  7. Condoms?!? by binaryDigit · · Score: 4, Funny

    *You probably shouldn't try this if the chip is on a condom.

    Duh, just wait until after your done with it ;)

    Actually, now that I think about it, I could see an interesting market for personal rfid scanners. You can sell it to women to take on first (or 2nd or 3rd) dates and it can scan for the product id's for condoms. That way they can catch a bit of a glimpse of what types of intentions (or hopes, or in the case of most /.'ers, dreams) their date has :)

  8. Oh, the irony by Dachannien · · Score: 4, Funny

    Indeed, Albrecht and McIntyre learned that the phone company BellSouth Corp. had applied for a patent on a system for scanning RFID tags in trash, and using the data to study the shopping patterns of individual consumers.

    I seem to remember that, back in the day, a large portion of the information used in phone phreaking was gathered through dumpster diving for internal manuals at Ma Bell. I guess turnabout really is fair play.

  9. Re:Mistaken Identity! by patio11 · · Score: 5, Funny
    >>It will take days if not weeks to prove they got the wrong person !!!>>

    Crimety, you're right! If only people would carry their name and photo on a little piece of plastic inside their wallet, with a copy of the same information backed up on a network law enforcement had access to, then we wouldn't have to wait a week to prove our identities! We could just show the card!

  10. Re:You don't have to be paranoid - but it helps by FidelCatsro · · Score: 4, Funny

    On the plus side , RFID does not involve Tom Cruise

    --
    The only things certain in war are Propaganda and Death. You can never be sure which is which though
  11. The best way to fight high-tech is with low-tech by pushf+popf · · Score: 4, Funny

    Nobody has ever developed an RFID chip that's mallet-resistant,

    And if you have way too much time on your hands, you can swap them with your friends and neighbors for hours of fun and enjoyment.

  12. Re:Just put them in your microwave by Ryosen · · Score: 4, Funny

    $20 in dollar coins creates a lump in your pocket and weighs you down, swinging and bumping against your leg.

    That's just great. One more lump in my pocket to feel inadequate about.

    --

    Ryosen
    One man's "Troll, +1" is another man's "Insightful, +1".
  13. Re:The best way to fight high-tech is with low-tec by HungWeiLo · · Score: 3, Funny

    Imagine swapping RFID chips from various underwear vendors with your next-door neighbors.

    Hilarity ensues from these outlyers of the marketing data.

    --
    There are a huge number of yeast infections in this county. Probably because we're downriver from the bread factory.
  14. Re:Generally, who cares? by Jardine · · Score: 3, Funny

    I know you don't sit in your yard guarding your trash all day.

    Maybe you don't.