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Richard Stallman Accosted For Tinfoil Hat

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the of-all-the-reasons dept.

ndansmith writes "Bruce Perens posts in his blog about an amusing encounter between Richard Stallman and United Nations security at the World Summit on the Information Society in Tunis. It seems that RFID technology, which Stallman opposes for privacy reasons, was used in the identification badges for the conference. From the blog: 'You can't give Richard a visible RF ID strip without expecting him to protest. Richard acquired an entire roll of aluminum foil and wore his foil-shielded pass prominently.' During a keynote speech, Stallman also passed around the tinfoil for other to use as well. It seems that UN security was not amused, however, as they would not let him leave the room for some time." What makes this even funnier, of course, is that tin foil hats won't stop them.

2 of 549 comments (clear)

  1. For all the "what does it matter" folks by Catbeller · · Score: 5, Interesting

    For months as this RFID contraversy has progressed, people on the 'dot have said, "well, you can always block it with a piece of foil if you don't want to be tracked".

    Well, guess what? As predicted by a quick examination of human nature, they WON'T let you block your tracking devices. You will not have a choice as to when and where you will be tracked. This is just the very beginning, the closing of the gate, of our World Prison.

    Tell me why again we have to have tracking devices embedded on our persons? I seem to have missed the reasoning. Terrorism?

    1. Re:For all the "what does it matter" folks by Catbeller · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Exactly. It was just an identity badge. And they went bonkers. Totally disproportionate response.

      Yell at the authority-maddened idiots who thought they could harrass Stallman, not Stallman. He made the point beautifully. It's about the POWER, not about security.

      What do you think the guvmint or the cops will do when you block THEIR tracking, even symbolically? Arrest, jail, prison, inevitably.