Totally! I expect that there will be proprietary as well as open source models. The task then will be to support open source stuff and boycott proprietary ones.
Now, I don't expect that a quick check of arfids will ever be enough to get you through an airport check; after all, how likely is it that your bomb is storebought and properly arfid tagged? Not so much. But still there are tons of great uses these things could be put to, and in fact will be put to.
This thread seems to be dominated by fear of their darker uses; everyone's like microwave your clothes! Sure, I guess you could microwave your clothes, but if the rule of law is not preventing the government from tracking you illegally then, sorry folks, microwaving your clothes sure ain't gonna protect you. We already have plenty of tech available for the most screwed up totalitarian police state you could ever want. Arfids are just one more. Zapping them out of your clothes in a society where we will probably have software capable of IDing you from video footage before too long is not going to accomplish much. What WILL protect privacy is a vigilant legal effort. Our laws are the only thing currently protecting us from universal phone taps, government cameras in every home, etc. It's not the technology we need to worry about; it's the legal structures around it.
In my case, the lack of outrage is because my outrage is reserved for actions, not technologies. I support arfid tech and love the ideas I've seen for ways it can be used by consumers. I don't want it to be used to create a totalitarian state or something. But that's a separate issue from the technology.
We already have plenty of technology for a real sucky surveillance state. What keeps that from happening, to the extent that anything does, is our laws. We sue corporations and even the government when they infringe on protected civil rights. That process doesn't prevent all misdeeds, but it does keep things running about how they should. Right now we could already have every telephone conversation tapped, every house under surveillance, but we don't because it would be illegal.
Arfids are no different. The tech is neutral. It has as many beneficial uses as harmful ones. It is up to society to be vocal about how that tech can be used. There is no question that a consumer will be within his rights to destroy any arfid he wishes on a product he has purchased. And there is no question that we as a society will define what uses are and are not legal, over time, as the tech is used in various ways, as people sue for breaches of privacy and their suits are successful or not successful, as states make laws about what uses are allowed, as people challenge those laws and appeals eventually reach the Supreme Court.
The tech is not evil! It is awesome! And yes, there are very real dangers to how it could be used, but that is what the legal process exists for!
Everyone seems to be looking at it like, the Man will hide these things in my stuff and we have to figure out how to circumvent it... I think they will be seen more as a feature! social networking, like you say. Google your missing left sock. Track your usage of various clothing or other items by frequency and location over a period of months. Receive email alerts when your toothpaste is almost empty! etc.
As we progress into the future, it looks to me like people will be less concerned about privacy, and more interested in how to share everything about themselves most effectively. Still, I expect to see a quiltwork of many unrelated systems making use of tech like arfids, growing up like dot.coms, rather than some unified system that would make it easy for a surveillance state to track us.
See also Everyware, Rainbows End, anything by Bruce S.
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Totally! I expect that there will be proprietary as well as open source models. The task then will be to support open source stuff and boycott proprietary ones.
Now, I don't expect that a quick check of arfids will ever be enough to get you through an airport check; after all, how likely is it that your bomb is storebought and properly arfid tagged? Not so much. But still there are tons of great uses these things could be put to, and in fact will be put to.
This thread seems to be dominated by fear of their darker uses; everyone's like microwave your clothes! Sure, I guess you could microwave your clothes, but if the rule of law is not preventing the government from tracking you illegally then, sorry folks, microwaving your clothes sure ain't gonna protect you. We already have plenty of tech available for the most screwed up totalitarian police state you could ever want. Arfids are just one more. Zapping them out of your clothes in a society where we will probably have software capable of IDing you from video footage before too long is not going to accomplish much. What WILL protect privacy is a vigilant legal effort. Our laws are the only thing currently protecting us from universal phone taps, government cameras in every home, etc. It's not the technology we need to worry about; it's the legal structures around it.
In my case, the lack of outrage is because my outrage is reserved for actions, not technologies. I support arfid tech and love the ideas I've seen for ways it can be used by consumers. I don't want it to be used to create a totalitarian state or something. But that's a separate issue from the technology. We already have plenty of technology for a real sucky surveillance state. What keeps that from happening, to the extent that anything does, is our laws. We sue corporations and even the government when they infringe on protected civil rights. That process doesn't prevent all misdeeds, but it does keep things running about how they should. Right now we could already have every telephone conversation tapped, every house under surveillance, but we don't because it would be illegal. Arfids are no different. The tech is neutral. It has as many beneficial uses as harmful ones. It is up to society to be vocal about how that tech can be used. There is no question that a consumer will be within his rights to destroy any arfid he wishes on a product he has purchased. And there is no question that we as a society will define what uses are and are not legal, over time, as the tech is used in various ways, as people sue for breaches of privacy and their suits are successful or not successful, as states make laws about what uses are allowed, as people challenge those laws and appeals eventually reach the Supreme Court. The tech is not evil! It is awesome! And yes, there are very real dangers to how it could be used, but that is what the legal process exists for!
Everyone seems to be looking at it like, the Man will hide these things in my stuff and we have to figure out how to circumvent it... I think they will be seen more as a feature! social networking, like you say. Google your missing left sock. Track your usage of various clothing or other items by frequency and location over a period of months. Receive email alerts when your toothpaste is almost empty! etc. As we progress into the future, it looks to me like people will be less concerned about privacy, and more interested in how to share everything about themselves most effectively. Still, I expect to see a quiltwork of many unrelated systems making use of tech like arfids, growing up like dot.coms, rather than some unified system that would make it easy for a surveillance state to track us. See also Everyware, Rainbows End, anything by Bruce S.