RFID Personal Firewall

JanMark writes "Prof. Andrew Tanenbaum and his student Melanie Rieback (who published the RFID virus paper in March) and 3 coauthors have now published a paper on a personal RFID firewall called the RFID Guardian. This device protects its owner from hostile RFID tags and scans in his or her vicinity, while letting friendly ones through. Their work has won the Best Paper award at the USENIX LISA Conference."

Comments

Re:Popups.

[plover]

Actually, it's against the law in many places to carry a device designed to aid in shoplifting with the intent to use it to shoplift. The code here in Minnesota states:

609.521 POSSESSION OF SHOPLIFTING GEAR.
(a) As used in this section, an "electronic article surveillance system" means any electronic
device or devices that are designed to detect the unauthorized removal of marked merchandise
from a store.
(b) Whoever has in possession any device, gear, or instrument designed to assist in
shoplifting or defeating an electronic article surveillance system with intent to use the same to
shoplift and thereby commit theft may be sentenced to imprisonment for not more than three
years or to payment of a fine of not more than $5,000, or both.
History: 1975 c 314 s 1; 1984 c 628 art 3 s 11; 1986 c 444; 1Sp2001 c 8 art 8 s 26

This statute is used to charge people who carry aluminum-foil lined shopping bags to try to beat the detectors. It's interesting to note that the statute doesn't say the device actually *has* to be effective, only that it has to be *designed* to aid in shoplifting.

As far as I know these statutes are usually applied only to people accused of shoplifting. Intent is very hard to prove on its own. If you carry an aluminum shopping bag into a store and leave again, they probably won't blink twice. If you are caught shoplifting AND have an aluminum-lined bag, they'll probably throw both charges at you. Oh, and don't forget that shoplifters are also forced by the courts to pay restitution to the victims. A typical investigation takes from one to two weeks worth of paperwork and other processing at a cost of about $40 per hour. Plus court costs. If they hire an expert to prove this is a shoplifting device, you'll pay for that as well.

Please note: I am not a lawyer; this is not legal advice; and if you do try to use this equipment to shoplift in one of my stores I sincerely hope you get the full three-year sentence and $5,000 fine you deserve.