RFID VS Bar Code Consumers need to know of RFID [Archive]

large

01-28-2005, 07:08 AM

This isn't a blog . . .

And if you hope to "Infiltrate" any Corporation by owning stock in it, you better own a whole bunch. Voting power is determined by the amount you hold . . one share, one vote . . . If you own enough stock to make a difference, you should have enough profit from your investment of $0.39 per share to retire . . NOW. Or if you own a little less than that, you should have a very tidy profit of just a little less than $50k or so, based on your statement a couple of replies up the thread.

I would also say I'm not trying to be a smart**** But I have done what you told everyone to do . . Go research your subject. I did, if you want references ( like the global warming one) I'll be glad to provide them. Unlike 48% of this country, I read, very well, and believe little of what I hear, until I can reinforce it with real facts.

I agree, to a point, that the RFID technology could be used to invade the privacy of the average citizen, and there should be a certain amount of concern. However it's a very large windmill to tilt at, and it has a very long headstart. Also, as I've said, the Banking Industry currently provides market studies to Corporations that would pay for them, and Intelligence to Countries who would pay for it.(Prof. Tom Barnett's Speech to the War College, 2004) As a matter of fact the long term Intelligence is almost completely provided by the World Banking Industry. Scary, Huh?

With the coming of a "Cash Free" Society (May never happen, but they're trying) the Banks will know more about you than Anybody . . Anywhere . . for any other reason! And they WILL sell your Information to those who want it and can pay for it. BANKS, Insurance Companies and Hospitals are the people responsible for the largest buildings being built in this country today . . And like a dog that licks his balls, it's because they can . . They're the ones with the money!

If you really want to rail against someone who will allow your personal information to be sold to the highest bidder . . go after the Banking Business! They hold the same ethics as the Governmental Represenatives . . . . .

Zombiewire

01-28-2005, 08:38 AM

Leader: Tagging kids
January 21 2005
by silicon.com
And we don't mean graffiti writers

Post your comment here

This publication and doubtless a number of others in the mainstream press have today covered a primary school in Swansea looking to electronically tag its pupils. A similar move was taken last year by a Japanese school.

In the UK, today's news follows a similar recent story about a school in Loughborough using biometric fingerprint readers to check pupils in and out.

The educational establishments cite safety as an over-riding reason to keep track of where their students wander. The same argument has been made by owners of public attractions such as Legoland, ostensibly to cater to parents with young children - though cynics would point to the tactic as a way to monitor the way facilities are used and better market attractions as a result.
http://networks.silicon.com/lans/0,39024663,39127258,00.htm

Zombiewire

01-28-2005, 08:47 AM

Now go play nicely with the privacy people...'

US clothing manufacturer Abercrombie & Fitch has finally admitted it is using RFID.

Last year, clothing labels belonging to the preppy clothing favourite - with the shop name blacked out but the company's logo still visible - were found at an RFID trade show.

At the time, representatives from the company displaying the tags, Checkpoint, said they were for display purposes only and Abercrombie & Fitch representatives said they could neither confirm or deny the clothing company's involvement with the technology. http://www.silicon.com/research/specialreports/protectingid/0,3800002220,39127337,00.htm

Lexi

01-28-2005, 08:48 AM

In the UK, today's news follows a similar recent story about a school in Loughborough using biometric fingerprint readers to check pupils in and out.

I have friends and family in the UK, I haven't once heard of such a thing from any of them.

Wahoo

01-28-2005, 09:12 AM

What ever anyone post on here you both need to be negitive on their statement. I think what zombiewire is doing is great deed and you to just shoot it down. zombie is correct on all of what he or she is talking about. I think Large really wants to lick his balls per his last post. You two need to go for a jog and relax, Wahoooooooooooooooooooo

and yes this is a form of a blog

Lexi

01-28-2005, 11:21 AM

Wahoo....

Whom are you addressing? And, have you read this entire subject, or just the last post or two?

You'll find, if you've read it all, that no one is doubting that what Zombie is talking about presents any kind of issue. However, purchasing a little bit of stock in something that you claim is not good is questionable.

Wahoo

01-28-2005, 03:05 PM

{{{{Whom are you addressing? And, have you read this entire subject, or just the last post or two?

You'll find, if you've read it all, that no one is doubting that what Zombie is talking about presents any kind of issue. However, purchasing a little bit of stock in something that you claim is not good is questionable.}}}}

There is nothing wrong with loading up on stock if you know the market will rise. I do not get that from Zombiewire comments that he/she thinks rfid is bad. I understand zombiewire as informing us of what zombiewire knows and has researched concerning the rfid. I read that you have posted ideas of your own and I do not see zombiewire going after you no Large. I enjoy both your topics and you should compliment each other with kindness. I like seing you up here Lexi
:D

large

01-28-2005, 03:17 PM

Hey, hey, hey, here . . I don't totally disagree with Zombiewire. There is a problem here. Another invasive technology is being used more and more in consumer products, and the possibility of it being used past the point of Purchase is definitely there.

But, I contend that it's actually past comment now. To use the Vernacular; "They got us by the short hair now!" There really isn't any way of stopping the use of RFID now, short of legislation . . And I'm very sure some Asshole Lawyer will try to make a Gazillion Dollars off a Privacy Invasion Suit sooner or later. That should bring on legislation . . . usually does.

And I argue . . . The Banking Industry has more information right now about all of us, than anyone using RFID's for Inventory Control and Sales Information would want. They have a far longer headstart and while the Federal Government has made laws to protect us, we know they have more loopholes than a badly knitted Sweater!

Besides . . we're having fun, aren't we?

Lexi

01-28-2005, 05:36 PM

Well,

I think it's interesting to see both ideas on the issue, actually. It shows some balance.

They say that to everything there are three sides...the left, the right, and the middle. lol

Anyway, I didn't even know these RFID tags existed until I read Zombie's post.

And, despite that I think they're a bad idea, I really don't think I could personally buy stock in the market of them...because then I'd be contributing to their effort. But that's just my opinion.

Zombiewire

01-28-2005, 06:35 PM

Look beyond the stock buy please. I always need to make some money.
Look what I am doing. I am reaching out to the consumers all over the world. I am getting emails from all over the world. There are people wanting to tell their story about how they fear the RFID movement. I have been contacted by RFID News to do a story on my Tagzapper item, which will kill the rfid chip once you leave the store. People are concerned about what will come out from this. There are words written in the bible concerning the Mark and now there is a chip that is embedded in people who now can buy with a simple scan. If you need any proof of that then I have it all at my site with facts to back it all up. Inquire about a certain topic concerning rfid and I will answer it.
Since the November 5 2004 ZombieWire has received 7000 hits.

P.S. Tagzapper is the only tool that will kill the RFID chip ZW

also see my free blogs I have this on

Lexi

01-28-2005, 07:43 PM

Zombie....

I don't want you to think I'm starting anything, because that is not my intention.

I'm very glad that you brought this matter up, as I had stated before, I didn't even know about these things until I first heard it from you. I certainly agree that these really do look like an invasion of privacy and should not be allowed to be used.

However, there are some that might think you to be a bit hypocritical for owning stock in something that you claim isn't good for the US, because owning this stock is the same as financially backing them, to some degree.

This is only my assessment, I have no delicate way of putting it, so I apologize if you find it offensive, as that's not my intention.

Again, I'm not here to pick a fight with you or start anything, I'm just being honest is all. I don't honestly know if I, personally, can overlook the stock thing, however I can say that I do heartily agree with you in that RFID tags should not be allowed to be used.

Zombiewire

01-29-2005, 07:40 AM

Again, ZombieWire factor is all about INFORMING the consumer. If the consumer wants to buy stock in the lead I give them well thats ok. ZombieWire is there to INFORM. So what does that have to do with getting a bad rap about buying stock? I do not get your point. Get off it please. ZW

What do you think about the Tagzapper?

Zombie....

""""

Again, I'm not here to pick a fight with you or start anything, I'm just being honest is all. I don't honestly know if I, personally, can overlook the stock thing, however I can say that I do heartily agree with you in that RFID tags should not be allowed to be used.""""

large

01-29-2005, 08:31 AM

Again, no big deal about the stock ownership. More power to you, and I hope you made a buck. No sour grapes, ***** it's good to see a commoner make out in the stock market, even if it isn't me.

But it is an odd way of "Fighting for a Cause" because usually buying a particular stock, especially when they're just starting up, is a definite bolster to the company or corporation you're railing against.

No biggie, just an observation. Kinda like being anti smoking, yet holding shares of American Tobacco, if you know what I mean . . Heh, heh . . .

Another observation would be, as an advocate for a cause, you need to debate the pros as well as the cons, so that you will project as a "Learned" debater, not just a totally anti-RFID advocate! Your argument is sound, but your reasoning appears to be totally negative as to RFIDs place in our technology. In other words you advocate that it shouldn't be allowed, it should be stopped dead in it's tracks, etc.

As I continue to say, we can't turn back the clock . . . so lets find common ground on WHAT we can do to keep it from becoming more intrusive, or telling some robot someplace that you've been a bad boy, heh, heh . .

Zombiewire

01-29-2005, 08:46 AM

ZombieWire is all about informing consumers about RFID. There is no stopping RFID. The gears are in motion. Consumers need to know what they will be taking home. I know that ZombieWire cannot stop RFID and so ZombieWire will not take that stance. Consumers need to know now so they can get together and make laws so that RFID will not hinder their privacy. As of now there are no laws to completely protect the consumer. It is the wild wild west.

Bowen Seeks Balance in RFID Law

A California bill aimed at protecting consumer privacy will not interfere with supply chain applications, says its author, Sen. Debra Bowen.

March 1, 2004—California State Senator Debra Bowen (D-Redondo Beach), author of a new bill aimed at curtailing the use of RFID tags to track consumers, says her aim is not to ban the technology or limit its many potential positive uses. Instead, she hopes the bill, introduced last week, will facilitate those uses while protecting consumer privacy.
http://www.rfidjournal.com/article/view/812

large

01-29-2005, 07:32 PM

Good Job! Let's hope CA. State Sen. Bowen succeeds in her effort.

I will forward the information I have gleaned in our conversations on to both of the Salazars and Mr. Allard. And will also make them aware of The Good Senator's efforts in California.

Lexi

01-29-2005, 09:19 PM

Large, for best results, send them to Tom Tancredo.

large

01-30-2005, 08:15 AM

Lexi, for best results . . send your personal letter to ALL of your Federal Represenatives, especially YOUR Congressman, John Salazar, Your Senators, Wayne Allard and Ken Salazar.

Then you won't get a letter back informing you "that while your interest is appreciated, you aren't one of his constituents and your letters would be better sent to your own represenative".

Your represenative is YOUR Represenative . . Tom is somebody else's. Trust me on this one. These guys are far more territorial than one would believe. Tancredo loves letters with his slant on Immigration, but most other issues . . "Tell YOUR Rep". He (Tancredo) has other people to reply to, apparently.

And this is not to say Tom is an exception. I have written letters to Chairmen of House and Senate Committees, speaking out on issues directly concerning something they were working on . . . And received such letters . . . . It's a "Chain of Command" thing, I guess. Or a "Brush Off". . . . Whatever.

Zombiewire

01-30-2005, 09:50 AM

http://www.corfida.org/pages/1/

Lexi

01-30-2005, 10:15 AM

Large...

Thank you for that advice.

Since I'm already somewhat politically active, I like to deal one on one with legislators...as in, face to face. You can rest assured that after my baby is born here within the next several days (hurry up, kid! UGH!), I'll be bringing this issue up and continuing research on it. I plan to bring it up at the State AND Federal levels.

I want to know whether any political action committees or citizens groups have been formed already to specifically counter this RFID thing, and if so, how I may be in contact with them. I'm talking about an actual organization. If there isn't one, then (and Zombie may be interested in this idea), who would like to form one?

When people join together, it's easier to get things done. That's the beauty of grass roots politics. :wink:

And, Large, while you're right about the territorial thing, there are some who aren't as territorial, and in the past, I've found them willing to take on certain issues whether I'm in their "territory" or not, simply because they know it's an issue that also affects their district. As well, if they stand up for something that the public will cheer about, they know they stand a better chance of being elected again. :wink:

Zombiewire

01-30-2005, 10:18 AM

I saw this commercial! Have you?

I first saw the coke commercial last week where they are giving away a truck to the person who buys the coke can that has the RFID tag in it. The first commercial I saw stated "You buy it and we'll find you ANYWHERE!" they didn't mention that the person needs to activate the can first before they can track the can. Last night i saw the new revised version (I'm assuming) where they now say "You buy it and activate it and we will find it." I was just thinking maybe so many people had heard or RFID tags by now that even with a nice prize like a truck no one is willing to participate?

http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/food/2004-05-09-coke_x.htm

http://www.marketingvox.com/archives/2004/07/02/us_military_scared_of_coke_gps_promo/
http://www.marketingvox.com/archives/2004/05/13/coke_launches_gps_can_promotion/

http://www.phonescoop.com/news/item.php?n=853

http://www.space.com/news/coke_gps_040702.html

http://www.rense.com/general53/cokee.htm

Zombiewire

01-30-2005, 10:57 AM

[quote="Lexi"]Large...

Lexi I can do what ever it takes help out. Here is a link where you may find futher help. www.privacyrights.org. They are all over RFID.

Also there is Katherine Albrecht, director of CASPIAN and a doctoral researcher at Harvard University. She and I have talked and emailed. She is world known for being an advocate. You can see her works by going to ZW or to her site CASPIAN. http://www.spychips.com/

You must see Katherine here on video

http://businessweek.feedroom.com/iframeset.jsp?ord=80897

Lexi

01-30-2005, 11:55 AM

Thank you, Zombie, that makes for a terrific start!

It's always best to have information/research in hand (especially from respectable sources) when approaching our legislators, and anyone else for that matter.

jetstream

01-30-2005, 12:28 PM

Hi Zombie and all. I have listened to Kathrine Albrecht several times on a talk radio program, and she makes excellent sense. Its not anybodys business what i buy for me or my dog? A huge database to be tracked and profiled.
Perhaps zombie can let us know when ms Albrecht will be on the radio again, then we all tune in.

thanks pueblo chieftain for this forum.

Wahoo

02-03-2005, 03:56 PM

Look what I found:

"RFID allows you to track, monitor, report and manage products, documents, assets and people more effectively and efficiently as they move between locations anywhere, at any time."
http://rfid.bemrosebooth.com/

this is crazy!

Zombiewire

02-04-2005, 08:44 AM

Privacy advocates: RFID technical review needed
Today's breaking news

By Grant Gross
IDG News Service, 06/21/04

Privacy advocates called for the U.S. Federal Trade Commission or other government agencies to initiative a comprehensive assessment of the potential effects of radio frequency identification technology, during an FTC workshop on RFID Monday.

The FTC or other agencies could conduct an "impartial" assessment of RFID and its potential effects on privacy, said Beth Givens, director of the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse. Some advocates who trumpeted RFID's potential to reduce supply-chain costs called for a public education campaign to educate the public on the potential positive uses of RFID, but Givens said a public campaign needs to include potential privacy concerns.

http://www.nwfusion.com/news/2004/0621privaadvoc.html

Also: What is a Verichip you need to know. http://www.4verichip.com/nws_06272004.htm You will be at AWW

Wahoo

02-10-2005, 06:45 AM

Hey Zombiewire. I have been reading more and more about RFID and found this. Incase you hav't read it yet. I love your site too,

Consumer concern over RFID tags
Supermarket aisle
Tags can be used to monitor stock levels
Consumers are very concerned about the use of radio frequency ID (RFID) tags in shops, a survey says.

More than half of 2,000 people surveyed said they had privacy worries about the tags, which can be used to monitor stock on shelves or in warehouses.

Some consumer groups have expressed concern that the tags could be used to monitor shoppers once they had left shops with their purchases.

The survey showed that awareness of tags among consumers in Europe was low.

The survey of consumers in the UK, France, Germany and the Netherlands was carried out by consultancy group Capgemini.

The firm works on behalf of more than 30 firms who are seeking to promote the growth of RFID technology.

The tags are a combination of computer chip and antenna which can be read by a scanner - each item contains a unique identification number.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/4247275.stm

Zombiewire

02-10-2005, 05:45 PM

10:15 AM Feb. 10, 2005 PT

Parents of elementary and middle school students in a small California town are protesting a tracking program their school recently launched, which requires students to wear identification badges embedded with radio frequency, or RFID, chips.

School superintendents struck a deal with a local maker of the technology last year to test the system to track attendance and weed out trespassers.
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Dawn and Mike Cantrall's daughter, a seventh-grader at Brittan Elementary School, poses at her Sutter, Calif., home, wearing the Radio Frequency Identification tag that the school asked her to wear. The Cantralls have filed a formal complaint against the school board, protesting the tag. The elementary school in this tiny rural school district has become an unlikely pioneer on the technology frontier by agreeing to test student I.D. cards designed to automatically take attendance.The badges use the same Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology that has been used to track livestock and store inventory _ and have outraged some parents with privacy concerns who say they were never consulted.
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But students and parents, who weren't told about the RFID chips until they complained, are upset over what they say are surreptitious tactics the school used to implement the program. They also question the ethics of a monetary deal the school made with the company to test and promote its product, using students as guinea pigs.

"This is not right for our kids," said Michele Tatro, whose daughter received a badge. "I'm not willing for anybody to track me and I don't think my children should be tracked, either."

The InClass RFID system was developed by two local high school teachers in Sutter, California, who helped found the company, InCom, that markets the system. Last year, the company approached the principal and superintendent of Brittan Elementary School District with the idea of testing InClass. The company offered the elementary school a donation of "a couple thousand dollars," according to the school's attorney, Paul Nicholas Boylan, as compensation for possible inconveniences caused by the test.

Boylan said the plan seemed like a good idea at the time and that the outcry was "completely unanticipated."

"But these issues are far more complicated than they first looked," he said, admitting that "this is a test of something new. No one knows whether this technology is going to work or not."

The system consists of a photo ID card affixed to a lanyard and worn around the neck. Embedded in the card is an RFID chip that contains a 15-digit number assigned to each student. As students pass beneath a doorway scanner on their way into a classroom, the scanner records the number and sends it to a server in the school's administrative office. The server translates the digits into names and sends an attendance list to the teacher's PDA, identifying all of the students who walked through the door. The teacher then visually verifies that the names on the PDA list match the students in the classroom.

The company installed the scanners and server last summer, but students only recently received the badges. InCom didn't return a call for comment, but according to a press release (PDF) on its website, the company plans to market the product nationwide next week at the American Association of School Administrators conference in Texas. Attorney Boylan said the school district stands to earn a royalty on future sales, and InCom has promised to install a schoolwide system at Brittan free of charge after the test is completed.

Brittan is the first school in California to use RFID, but not the first in the nation. Spring Independent School District near Houston, Texas, recently gave 28,000 students RFID badges to record when students get on and off school buses. The information is monitored by the police and school administrators to prevent child abductions and truancy. A handful of other schools have tested similar projects.

Nicole Ozer, technology and civil liberties policy director for the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California, said the technology's privacy threats are real.

"The proliferation of RFIDs and their use in identity documents is of serious concern," Ozer said. "Not just for people with children but for all of us in terms of monitoring."

Last December, when her 13-year-old daughter, Lauren, mentioned that students at her school would be getting "nametags," Michele Tatro thought nothing of it.

"They've always had student IDs to get into dances and get discounts at football games," Tatro said. "So I didn't even fathom the tracking (aspect). I had never heard of RFID until it came to my doorstep."

Then, when Tatro collected Lauren from school a few weeks ago, her daughter was furious.

"She shoves (the badge) in front of me and says 'Look at this!'" Tatro said. "She's mad and exasperated because someone has forced this upon her, and she feels like she can't do anything about it."

The Tatros and the parents of another student told the school, which includes grades kindergarten through 8th grade, that their children wouldn't participate in the project. The school sent a letter threatening disciplinary action if students didn't participate. So the parents contacted the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California and other civil liberties groups. A handful of other parents have withdrawn their children from the test project as well.

"We tried talking to (the school superintendents) twice," Tatro said. "They didn’t see our concerns."

Parents and civil liberty groups are also concerned about who has access to the collected data.

Boylan said the system offers security advantages since administrators would immediately know if a student didn't show up for class and could notify parents quickly. School officials could also quickly identify anyone who didn't belong on campus if they weren't wearing an RFID badge. But the main draw is a more efficient and accurate way to track and verify attendance in order to receive state funds.

"In California, the funding of schools is based on attendance," Boylan said. "Therefore we want (attendance) to be as accurate as we can. If we are wrong for whatever reason, it means we are getting less money than we should be getting." The system provides an audit trail to back up the district's claims if the state questions their numbers.

Boylan couldn't say how scanners above bathroom doors would help track attendance. InCom installed scanners outside 7th and 8th-grade classrooms at Brittan and above bathroom doors in a cafeteria. But Boylan noted that the bathroom scanners never worked properly anyway, and the school has since asked InCom to remove them.

Boylan said the school properly notified parents about the test, as the law requires, and got no complaints. He said the school held an open board meeting to discuss the test and posted public notices describing the essence of the test, but could not say where exactly the notices were placed.

"At the office, possibly in town," he said.

On Jan. 12, Brittan did announce in its weekly newsletter (PDF) that the school would soon require students to wear ID badges, but didn't mention RFID chips or scanners in classroom doors.

It said only that the school would soon issue "new safety ID badges" that students should wear "at all times" during normal school hours. The announcement also said students would be held accountable for the cost of replacing lost or destroyed badges.

Lauren Tatro said that when principal Ernest Graham distributed the badges, he didn't mention the RFID chips in them or give students a choice about wearing the badges.

"Students asked questions," Tatro said, "but they couldn’t really be answered very well. We got just the basics of what they were but nothing about the tracking."

A week after receiving parent complaints, the school scheduled a gathering to demonstrate the technology and answer questions, but notified parents only a day in advance.

"We're not opposed to technology," Tatro said. "We’re opposed to the way they're applying the technology. This is a test bed (to gauge) public acceptance of this. If they get away with it here, somebody else will try something even more invasive somewhere else."

Boylan said the school is currently discussing with the company how much data it needs to test the system. And the school has decided to allow students to opt out of wearing badges until it makes a formal decision about the status of the project next week.

But Tatro said that even if the school modifies or cancels the project, they plan to lobby schools to abandon such plans nationwide.

"We feel a bit of responsibility that we have to make this known," Tatro said. "We don't want to deal with another application of it somewhere else. Even if they retract, we will press forward in any lobbying to the appropriate people that we don't want this technology used in this application in society.

http://www.wired.com/news/privacy/0,1848,66554,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_2[/quote][/code][/list][/list][/url]

Zombiewire

03-17-2005, 07:23 AM

Here is the most informative news capture concerning RFID yet.

http://www.fox6.com/

large

03-17-2005, 10:05 AM

Zombiewire

03-31-2005, 02:18 PM

A busy Saturday afternoon may leave shelves at a typical Wal-Mart bare of Pampers diapers or Ol' Roy dog food or even size-10 Levi jeans. Busy employees may get around to restocking only one of every 12 items cleared out, mainly because they don't know which shelves are bare.

"The lost sales are huge," said Simon Langford, the man with the ambitious assignment of fixing the problem by implementing a system that promises to keep better track of billions of items flowing through the planet's biggest retail operation _ and to make shopping faster and easier in the process.

More >> http://www.shns.com/shns/g_index2.cfm?action=detail&pk=RFID-03-31-05

Zen Curmudgeon

03-31-2005, 08:27 PM

Good coverage James . . .

I'm not sure, but I think that there will probably be laws enacted (do we need more?) to curb certain invasions of privacy on a federal Level. I do hope California at least is able to pass a "Model" of legislation that the courts will allow. From there, federal intervention usually isn't far away when it involves interstate commerce.

RFIDs seem pretty tame to me compared to the mandatory GPS chips in all cell phones sold in the US of A. The FCC agreed with Law Enforcement (translation "Ashcroft") that requiring this locator chip would help in cases of kidnap or lost in the woods.

Personally, I've been chased more by cops than angry grizzlies, so maybe my take is a little biased...:)

However, the Privacy Invasion I worry about has already happened and as I have written before, will continue . . Because? The Banking Industry is profiting from it . . The States are profiting from it . . the Insurance Companies are profiting from it.

And the Loser? You and me. Those of us with Checking Accounts, Debit Cards, Credit Cards, Driver's Licenses, or Insurance Policies . . Your names and the information attached is being sold to Data Storage Companies at an alarming rate . . And being sold to Almost anybody . . for as little as $5 per name, SS#, addresses, Phone #s and Driver's License #s . . .

I've maintained for years that we all have a duty to lie to databases, corrupt the information. When I am faced with personal data requests, I make stuff up. My phone number is sometimes 555-1212 or Focus on the Family's. My address is usually 123 Main Street, ****omama, Oklahoma. My return email address is typically sp@m.sux. As for the SSN, commercial concerns are required by Federal law to provide you an alternative serial number if you decline to share your SSN. (The Feds can require your SSN but only in limited situations.)

Recently we saw HIPPA legislated in Congress . . And while it's "Overkill" it "assures" us privacy of our medical records and history. Apparently the Medical lobbys in this country weren't powerful enough to stop this law from being passed.
You have it a little backwards. The privacy and security measures in HIPAA were passed over the objections of the INSURANCE industry with the support of the health care industry. It was a helluva fight, though. The goal was to prevent uninformed use of personal health information to make decisions. For example, if your brother has AIDS, an insurer may refuse you coverage because of "risky behavior", i. e., living with an HIV positive person.

I don't claim the medical industrial lobbyists were all that concerned about little ol' us. It's pretty tough to file a lawsuit if you can't see the medical records, but this does seem to be one case in which we the peepul got a little ahead of the game.

(On the side, it's pretty easy to imagine a scene where a pro-HIPAA physician is campaigning a little while doing the annual prostate exam on his Congressman patient. To quote Chuck Colson, "Once you have 'em by the balls, their hearts and minds will follow".)

Case in point - when Bill Clinton had his coronary artery bypass graft at Columbia Med Center in NYC, some "journalists" offered hospital staff $$$ to peek and tell about his records. The same HIPAA mandated privacy measures that protect an uninsured crack ho ID'd a dozen or so unauthorized peepers and prevented disclosure.

Take Care -

ZC

Lexi

04-01-2005, 07:41 AM

ZC, chased by the cops? For what?

And that use of the F-word--OMG! (Where did you learn that word?! Do we need to wash your typing fingers out with soap? Let's use the Anti-Stress Palmolive aroma therapy with Lavendar and Ylang Ylang Essences, it'll help you relax.)

Oh, and Zombie, don't read this part: I bought it on sale at WalMart. *ducking* [:D]

Zen Curmudgeon

04-01-2005, 01:56 PM

ZC, chased by the cops? For what?

And that use of the F-word--OMG! (Where did you learn that word?! Do we need to wash your typing fingers out with soap? Let's use the Anti-Stress Palmolive aroma therapy with Lavendar and Ylang Ylang Essences, it'll help you relax.)

'Twasn't anything major and they couldn't have proven anything anyway - I was in Cinncinnati that night. :)

And I forgot about the webmaster's naughty noun rule. Guess I'll have to change my mythical city's name.

Take care -

ZC

Zombiewire

04-01-2005, 06:31 PM

WE CAN STOP RFID IN PASSPORTS!
URGENT REQUEST - this will take only 5 minutes of your time

================================================== =============

WHAT: Tell the government you oppose spychips in passports
WHERE: http://www.rfidkills.com/action.html
WHEN: By Monday, April 4th, at 5:00 PM EST

Add your protest comment to the hundreds that have already been filed.
Then forward this email and spread the word!

================================================== =============
THE PROBLEM:
================================================== =============

SPYCHIPS PLANNED FOR PASSPORTS

The US Department of State plans to put remotely readable radio
frequency identification (RFID) spychips into all new passports. These
tiny computer spychips will use radio waves to broadcast the information
contained on our passports -- including name, date and place of birth,
passport number and photograph -- right through our wallets, backpacks,
pockets or purses, to nearby reader devices.

The data will not be encrypted or protected in any way. This reckless
plan could put Americans traveling overseas at risk of attack by
thieves, muggers, kidnappers, and even terrorists who could use portable
reader devices to zero in on the radio signals emanating from our
passports. Don't let the federal government put a spychip in *your*
pocket!

NOTE: While the maximum legal read range of the passport chips is only a
few inches, criminals can eavesdrop on official reader devices to
capture your data from across a room or potentially even down the block.

(Even if you don't have a passport, this still impacts you. Passport
chipping is a trial run for other documents. If we allow this to happen,
drivers licenses will be next.)

================================================== ==============
THE SOLUTION:
================================================== ==============

Join the nationwide outcry against spychipped passports!

Our friends at RFIDKILLS.COM have put together a quick and easy way to
submit your comments against spychipped passports directly to the US
State Department.

There are four days left to inundate the State Department with
complaints. Write a short note of opposition yourself (even something as
simple as "I oppose RFID in passports" is fine.) Then ask five friends
to do the same.

It will take only a few thousand Americans speaking out against this
plan to put an end to it. Please do your part!

Note: RFIDKILLS.com is not officially affiliated with CASPIAN, but we
know and trust the people behind it. We are supporting them every step
of the way. Please do the same!

In Freedom,

Katherine Albrecht
Founder and Director, CASPIAN Consumer Privacy

Zen Curmudgeon

04-01-2005, 06:41 PM

These tiny computer spychips will use radio waves to broadcast the information contained on our passports -- including name, date and place of birth,
passport number and photograph -- right through our wallets, backpacks,
pockets or purses, to nearby reader devices. es to
capture your data from across a room or potentially even down the block.

Hey, can we use RFIDs to keep track of those pesky black helicopters? :)

Take Care -

ZC

Zombiewire

04-02-2005, 06:09 AM

Hey, can we use RFIDs to keep track of those pesky black helicopters? :)

Take Care -

ZC

The question is to vague. I am sorry. ZW

Zombiewire

04-03-2005, 08:50 AM

With iris scans unlocking VIP doors at Equinox gym, palm prints opening Bank of America safety deposit boxes, and fingerprint data paying for milk at the Piggly Wiggly, consumer lives are swiftly evolving into a biometric Shangri La — with personal characteristics as the new currency. http://www.nypost.com/business/42017.htm

large

04-03-2005, 09:50 AM

James, this whole RFID thing is another one of the "Tommorrow" things that has gotten here . . a wonderful device for keeping track of things . . until somebody wants to keep track of you . . or me . .

Goes back to my thesis on ChoicePointe, et al . . . We have legislated Medical Information Privacy, a little overkill, perhaps, but at least an Insurance Company can't sell that information to ChoicePointe . .

Maybe it's time for some of our Reps to look at this issue, all of the Information and Data gatherer's and their methods need to be looked at and in the end, perhaps, regulated . .

But on the other hand, we can't just outlaw the technology, either . . That would be like saying, . . Credit Cards will be illegal . . . Checking Accounts . . will be illegal . . anything that would enable your bank to assemble information about you . . would be illegal . .

What should be illegal is the sale of this Data, from one source to another. Period. . . now anybody in the credit, banking, or insurance business is going to have a cow over this statement or if posed, the law . . even the Federal Government will get in here, because they conclude in the Homeland Security Act, that they need this information . . . which eventually, I believe will be ruled mostly unconstutional . . .

Bottom line is . . IF nobody can sell this information, they probably won't spend the money necessary to keep it!

But what do I know?

Zombiewire

04-04-2005, 05:38 PM

Joseph Krull doesn't have a chip on his shoulder. But he has one in it.

The San Antonio security consultant is one of a small but growing number of people who essentially turn themselves into wireless network nodes for the sake of making personal information available to authorized parties with the wave of a radio frequency identification (RFID) scanner.

In Krull's case, the chip was implanted two months ago so hospital staff could access his medical information quickly in emergency situations. Others are "getting chipped," as those in the know call it, for everything from entertainment to personal safety.

Krull's chip is basically the same kind of RFID-based technology that's been used for years to tag dogs so they can be identified if lost, except the human chip works on a different radio frequency.
http://www.bio-itworld.com/news/040405_report7996.html

Zombiewire

04-07-2005, 08:14 AM

large

04-07-2005, 10:31 AM

Good work . . .

time to tune up yer congressman about the whole Privacy issue . .

Wouldn't be so bad if they just "Gathered information" but they sell it to EVERYBODY!

Zombiewire

04-08-2005, 08:43 AM

APRIL 06, 2005 (COMPUTERWORLD) - A Texas legislator has filed a bill that would, in part, call for the state to replace vehicle inspection stickers with radio frequency identification (RFID) tags, otherwise known as transponders.
But the idea does not sit well with some privacy experts.

The tags would be used by law enforcement to ensure compliance with the state's insurance laws, according to Larry Phillips, the Republican state representative who proposed the bill.

"This is a system that would be used to reduce the number of uninsured drivers on the road. Right now it's at 26%," Phillips said.

The bill also calls for the transponders to be compatible with the automated vehicle registration and certificate of title system established by the Texas Department of Transportation. It would also require compatibility with the standards established by the Transportation Department and other agencies for use of toll roads and toll facilities, Phillips said.
http://www.computerworld.com/securitytopics/security/privacy/story/0,10801,100892,00.html

Here it is. RFID will replace the bar code. The RFID tags will be embedded in most product as a can of beer. A policeman with the RFID reader may scan your vehicle. Once scanned the police will know that there is a 6 PAC of beer in your car and half a pack of breath mints in your pocket . Yes sharing the information is not a positive thing for the consumer ,likewise; Having a national data base storing all this information and something at the controls. Our every move will be recorded as the matrix movie. It is easy to figure this out. All you have to do is connect the dots.

I am not for drinking and driving but making a point.

Zombiewire

04-08-2005, 09:50 AM

Dreams of better inventory management drive Wal-Mart to demand its suppliers use radio frequency identification tags.

By TERESA F. LINDEMAN
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

A busy Saturday afternoon may leave shelves at a typical Wal-Mart bare of Pampers diapers or even size- 10 Levi jeans. Busy employees may get around to restocking only one of every 12 items cleared out, mainly because they don't know which shelves are bare.

"The lost sales are huge," said Simon Langford, the man with the ambitious assignment of fixing the problem by implementing a system that promises to keep better track of billions of items flowing through the planet's biggest retail operation - and to make shopping faster and easier in the process.

Radio frequency identification technology, casually known as RFID, is at the heart of that system. The idea behind it has been around a long time and has come into common use at Fast Trak toll lanes that allow drivers to breeze down the road now and pay a bill later.

The science that would make it possible to follow each box of cereal, each bar of soap and each T-shirt from the manufacturer to the warehouse to the sales floor and out through the cash register has yet to be perfected.

There's no agreement yet on standard technology, but if there were an RFID grocery store today, products would carry a selection of tags, ranging from 4-inch-by-6-inch rectangularversions to ones the size of a piece of gum, only flatter. Some would have two tiny antennas pointing out from the pinhead-size chip, others have one or even three.

The technology is expensive, sometimes awkward and raises worries among consumer groups who see it as yet another Big Brother-like attempt to chip away at shoppers' privacy.

Wal-Mart is determined to drive the research along. The $288 billion retailer's insistence that everybody else get on board, ready or not, may be the driving force behind a whole new approach to shopping. In that future scenario, consumers will casually dash out the supermarket door with a load of groceries instantly charged to their account, or retailers will implement a recall on bad meat simply by scanning RFID records.

In mid-2003, Wal-Mart demanded 100 suppliers be on board with radio frequency systems by January 2005. Boston research firm AMR Research estimates that the company's suppliers have, so far, collectively spent $250 million on the chore. An additional 200 top suppliers have been given a January 2006 deadline. The retailer plans to outfit 600 of its stores and 12 distribution centers by October.

The ripples from the project have spread through the retail supply chain and beyond. Retailers such as Target have issued their own mandates, and others such as Sears and Kmart are studying the technology.

A lab at the University of Pittsburgh is testing ways to make RFID chips more affordable for small companies. Genco, a warehouse logistics company in Blawnox, is advising clients how to implement the existing technology. A furniture chain has been discussing whether a system would fit in its showrooms.

"Wal-Mart's mandate is the reason everyone is doing it," said Cary Cameron, vice president of strategic technologies at Blawnox-based Genco.

Radio frequency identification is seen as the next great leap beyond the now-decades- old bar code.

RFID goes further by giving each item its own unique code that can be checked by electronic readers sending out radio waves and then recording the waves sent back by tags in the vicinity. Readers might be set up all along the supply chain to keep track of items as they move through.

In making his case on a recent industry conference call, Wal-Mart's Langford said RFID will protect manufacturers against counterfeiters, allow suppliers to see where goods are slowing down and help employees spend less time scouting through piles of back-room boxes.

When it tracked one store recently over a 24-hour period, the retailer found dozens of cases of goods pulled from the stockroom and then later returned because they were not needed. Multiply that across thousands of stores and it adds up.

Stores are not the only place errors add to retail expenses. Despite increasingly sophisticated warehouse systems, forklift operators in huge distribution centers buzzing around dozens of bay doors often place cases on the wrong truck, Cameron said.

http://www.ocregister.com/ocr/2005/04/08/sections/business/business_nation/article_471513.php

large

04-08-2005, 12:00 PM

And yeah, doing a little reading about the little leaps in technology, baby steps, as you will. The transponders or readers don't have to be very close . . currently the CDOT Pass program for commercial trucking reads the windshield tag from over 20 feet at 75 MPH. Same with the Toll Road Passes . . never misses either, so I understand . . . .

Back to legislation . . . that's where this is going to have to go . .

By th' way James, how's th weather in S.D.? How ya doin?

Zombiewire

04-08-2005, 06:02 PM

VeriChip is a small radio frequency identification device intended for use in a variety of identification and information applications. The inert transponder, inserted into the tissue under the skin, contains a unique 16-digit identification number. A small, handheld scanner is used to read this number. More info »

Use the provided menu(left-hand side of this page) to get more information on our products.

http://www.4verichip.com/verichip.htm

Zombiewire

04-08-2005, 06:24 PM

Zen Curmudgeon

04-08-2005, 07:51 PM

I've been reading a bit about the RFID concerns and plans for use in retail, law enforcement, etc., and I have to admit to being confused about the degree of concern over a largely un-installed technology. Shouldn't we be more exercised about the domestic spying that already goes on?

My main question in this post is simple - what's new here? What is it about RFID that offers unprecedented data gathering about us by others? Everything I've read to this point talks about a new channel of informatiion, not development of new information per se. For instance, there is some concern about RFID passports. How is an RFID data stream read by a scanner different from a paper document read by a border guard? RFID chips in an automobile can't really doing much a search of the car doesn't do better. You have a legal obligation to identify yourself to police, does it matter if that's by means of a photo ID or a subcutaneous chip? I don't get the cause for concern.

Take Care -

ZC

gettingold66

04-09-2005, 08:52 AM

I certainly don't care if anyone knows where I buy products. I don't have anything to hide. Certainly, banks and others know all of my personal business. Why be concerned about RFID's.

Zombiewire

04-09-2005, 08:57 AM

Lawmaker doesn't want chip in your shoulder
00:00 am 4/09/05
Tom Sheehan Lee Newspapers

State Rep. Marlin Schneider doesn't want government getting under your skin.

The Wisconsin Rapids Democrat plans a measure to prohibit anyone, including the government and employers, from requiring microchip implants in people.

Sound far-fetched, like something from a sci-fi flick? Maybe. But Schneider, a privacy advocate, says technology once reserved for tracking pets or livestock is already moving to humans - in medical, security and identity verification applications.

So far, only willing participants have had rice grain-sized devices implanted just below their skin. But Schneider worries that government eventually will use the devices to track and monitor citizens. "People will find reasons why everyone should have these chips implanted."
http://www.madison.com/wsj/mad/local/index.php?ntid=35518

Zen Curmudgeon

04-09-2005, 09:38 AM

Quoting from ZWire's last linked article -

"Nightclubs in Scotland and Spain offer customers a microchip implant that lets them charge without a credit card. And as the patron moves through a club, bar staff can ready the customer's favorite drink - before the patron even settles at the bar."

Take Care -

ZC

Zombiewire

04-10-2005, 05:53 PM

Well I started a blog called VeriChip News. I will focas on rfid and contactless payments. You will find links to stories that will set you back on your seat. Here is one head line.

Microsoft Patents Body-As-Network
A human conduit could distribute power across wearable devices, developer says.
Microsoft patents a method to transmit data and power over the human body

http://verichipnews.blog-city.com/

large

04-11-2005, 02:35 PM

James, you are now officially part of my "Favorites" . . . Good site!

Zombiewire

04-11-2005, 05:52 PM

Thanks large. If you want I can help you with a blog.

Here is back to that story with RFID in your car. Read the spin. The spin is like a red light saying: I am the SPIN" The spin "There's no compelling reason any personal information should be stored on those RFID tags "

the link: http://www.computerworld.com/governmenttopics/government/story/0,10801,100957,00.html

Zen Curmudgeon

04-11-2005, 08:59 PM

http://www.wired.com/news/privacy/0,1848,67025,00.html?tw=wn_story_page_prev2

A fairly thorough review, I think. A quote from a source in this article caught my attention:

Terrorists could also track down and kidnap Americans oversees by secretly reading their chipped passports.

"Let's say you are in Beirut, carrying a passport with an RFID tag," said Steinhardt. "A terrorist with a portable reader device could easily tell who is the American (in a public space)."

I don't believe you'd need a "portable reader device" to identify an American out on the town in Beirut, Lebanon. :)

Take Care -

ZC

Zombiewire

04-12-2005, 04:06 AM

@ 4:06 this morning I woke up to the house rocking and rolling. We had an earth quake.
It will be kind of nice to have something else to think about today.

" i feel the earth move" http://earthquake.usgs.gov/recenteqs/

Zombiewire

04-13-2005, 01:28 PM

AIM Global has developed a draft policy statement on privacy issues relating to the implementation of RFID technology.

The association’s RFID Experts Group (REG) presented the document to a US Congressional Caucus looking into privacy concerns. The draft policy recognised individuals' rights and outlined ways in which RFID technology can be used while helping ensure individuals' privacy.
As an extension of the draft policy, the REG also submitted comments on a draft European Union (EU) document on privacy concerns.

The group hopes that the statement will go some way to calming fears that the proliferation of RFID throughout the supply chain could lead to serious invasions of privacy.

http://foodproductiondaily.com/news/news-ng.asp?n=59357-aim-releases-statement

Zombiewire

04-15-2005, 05:26 PM

IBM Signs $125 Million Deal To Build Nationwide Speed Trap April 15, 2005

In what is described as the largest telematics deal in history, IBM engineers will design an automobile-monitoring system and install a device in cars to track drivers in the United Arab Emirates.

IBM said it has signed a four-year, $125 million deal to build an automobile-monitoring system and install a device in cars to track drivers in the United Arab Emirates, making it the largest telematics deal in history.
The UAE's CERT Telematics, a unit of the Centre of Excellence for Applied Research and Training in Dubai, signed the deal to help improve road safety throughout the country, according to IBM spokesman Cary Ziter. "The project started with a social problem. They have a population of 3 million and 2 million have drivers' licenses. Their population has boomed and their roads have become clogged," Ziter says.

http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=160901571

Zombiewire

04-18-2005, 08:17 PM

Consumers Aware of RFID (Radio Frequency Identification Tags) Climbs to 40%

Latest RFID Consumer Buzz Study by BIGresearch and Artafact Shows Awareness Climbing
Among Consumers From Just 28.2% Last Year to 40% in March 2005
COLUMBUS, OH -- (MARKET WIRE) -- 4/6/2005 -- If you haven't heard of RFID technology yet, you soon will from your friends, the Internet and mass media according to the most recent poll of 8,500 adults from BIGresearch and Artafact LLC.

Sept-04: 28.2%, Dec-04: 35.7%, Mar-05: 40.8%

As the "buzz" continues to grow around new RFID applications being used to tag everything from products to people, so do consumer concerns. 67% of those aware remain concerned that the information collected about their purchasing habits will be shared without their express permission and they know what they are talking about. When RFID aware adults were asked to rate their understanding of how retailers intend to use RFID technology, 68% say they somewhat or fully understand how retailers intend to use RFID tags.

TV and Radio News remain the most common way people learn about RFID (25.6% in March 2005) followed closely by the Internet (23.0%). There is a gender gap in awareness with more men (52%) aware of the technology than women (31%). Attitudes about RFID vary by gender also with women being significantly less positive about it than men.

Zombiewire

04-22-2005, 04:34 PM

Tutu calls for child registration

Governments are urged to ensure all children are registered
South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu has helped launch a global campaign calling for governments to ensure all children are registered at birth.
He said it was a matter of life and death - an unregistered child did not officially exist and was vulnerable to traffickers and during disasters.

In South Asia alone, there are no records for six out of every 10 babies, campaign organisers Plan say.

The agency fears around half a billion children worldwide may be unregistered.

Archbishop Tutu said a birth document was important because it "proves who you are". Without it children are often barred from education, health care and citizenship.

"It is, in a very real sense, a matter of life and death," the Nobel Peace Prize laureate told a news conference at the UN headquarters in New York.

"The unregistered child is a nonentity. The unregistered child does not exist. How can we live with the knowledge that we could have made a difference?"

Cambodia success

The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child imposes an obligation on countries to register every child immediately after birth.

But Plan, the international agency organising the registration campaign, said that was not happening in many parts of the world.

An unregistered child does not officially exist: Desmond Tutu

In a report released to coincide with the campaign, Plan said no records existed for 60% of babies born annually in South Asia, and that 55% of births in sub-Saharan Africa go unrecorded.

"Governments worldwide are failing the world's children, as millions of youngsters without a birth certificate find it very difficult to prove their age or nationality," said Thomas Miller, Plan's chief executive.

"And parents whose children go missing during disasters like the tsunami or because they are abducted by traffickers may even be unable to get help with tracing their sons or daughters because they cannot prove the age of their children - or in many cases that their children even exist."

He said a recent campaign in Cambodia - in which they registered 2.4 million people in less than four months - showed it could be done without incurring high costs.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4289393.stm

Zen Curmudgeon

04-23-2005, 02:49 PM

Zombiewire

04-23-2005, 05:32 PM

I'm missing the problem here, I guess. How can birth registration be a bad thing?

There are upsides, as the BBC article you referenced says: most importantly, access to health care. According to President Bush's 2003 State of the Union speech there are at least 3 million HIV positive children in sub-Saharan Africa.

If Bishop Tutu is correct and lack of registration prevents access to health care, that number could be far higher. Failure to register a birth can mean certain death from AIDS for millions of children.

Again, how is birth registration a bad thing? The trade off seems worthwhile.

I'm confused.

Take Care -

ZC

I did not state an opinion on this topic. I did not say that it is a bad thing.

However, Do you think a child needs to be registered to exist? Does a human need the government's registry today for existence? I would think Tutu would use less profound words to articulate his point having the title of a Bishop.

Zen Curmudgeon

04-23-2005, 05:56 PM

I did not state an opinion on this topic. I did not say that it is a bad thing.
However, Do you think a child needs to be registered to exist? Does a human need the government's registry today for existence? I would think Tutu would use less profound words to articulate his point having the title of a Bishop.Sorry for the misunderstanding - your use of the thumbs down icon in the post's title mislead me.

Of course, self-awareness needs no external validation. But receiving services of any kind requires the provider know you exist, and a birth registration is one way to do that. (My own self-validation is reinforced every time I run a debit card for a six of Fat Tire ;).)

It seems to me that Bishop Tutu's language was appropriate - lacking a document can lead to an early death or enslavement for an unregistered child.

Take Care -

ZC

Zombiewire

05-03-2005, 07:04 AM

Identity theft, credit card fraud and invasion of personal privacy are growing problems that affect millions of people every year. One company claims it has the solution: a chip implanted under your skin to verify your identity.

Last October the Food and Drug Adminstration judged that Verichip is not considered a regulated medical device, so approval for the chip to be implanted in humans is not regulated by the government. That means it’s up to you. Are you ready to be chipped?

Not everyone News 8 with sounds thrilled about the futuristic idea.

“Absolutely not,” said Ava Sale.

“A total invasion of privacy,” said Wade Shanower.
http://www.wishtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=3289854

Zen Curmudgeon

05-03-2005, 10:32 PM

Howdy -

Check this out:

http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0504/p02s02-usju.html

Signed into law by an outraged Gov. Jeb Bush on Monday, the Jessica Lunsford Act - known as "Jessica's law" - provides for satellite tracking of sex offenders in the state for the first time.

It's a move officials believe will significantly reduce or even eliminate the number of "missing" child molesters in the state. The law also sets a minimum 25-year sentence for anyone convicted of preying on a child under 12.

The question is, do we consider intrusive monitoring "punishment", and if we do, then is it appropriate to continue to "punish" a convicted criminal who has completed his lawfully-imposed sentence?

Take Care -

ZC

Zombiewire

05-07-2005, 07:34 AM

Is it true that this tagzapper has finally been developed?

The TagZapper™ is being developed to be a light weight, handheld, device for deactivating RFID transmitting devices.
This is intended to fulfill consumer demand for a means to protect their privacy.

Proposed scenario:
A consumer purchases a six-pack of beer at a convenience store.
After exiting the store the consumer uses her TagZapper™ to disable the RFID tags.
At this point the consumer is able to transport and consume her purchase without being monitored by any commercial or government agency.

Detailed information about the TagZapper product to be released at a future date.

www.tagzapper.com

large

05-07-2005, 02:21 PM

Zombiewire

05-08-2005, 07:03 AM

While there's two sides to this particular technology . . Those against it who fear the writings of George Orwell are coming to pass . . Be careful of what you wish for . .

You're gonna create another "thereoughtabealaw!" which will cause our elected 535 Idiots to react . . .

But, from what I've read since being made aware of the technology by your comments on this site, I think they're here . . . The Government, especially the DOD, has made a very large investment in the technology and if they have it already . . . try making laws against it! It's already in use on all of our toll roads, the DOT uses it for a myriad of things, the State DOTs use it . . The Dept of Agriculture is starting to advocate it's use in the livestock area, . . . I think it's a Dead Horse . . . No use flogging it anymore.

No pun intended!

There are already RFID chips in products at your Wal Mart and some other stores. Eventually there will be RFID chips in all product at every store. Say you buy a shirt from Wal Mart with your ATM or Visa card or you Verichip implant. The next day you walk into another store with that shirt on. The store RFID reader will get information all about you.
Now that WiFI and RFID are in bed together, you can be read just walking in a WiFi hot zone. WiFi zone are all over the place. At that point you are information traveling via the World Wide Web. You can be tracked. It is an easy formula. Now with the national ID mandate which will have the RFID chip embedded. You will surely be tracked be WiFi.

Since the mad cow out break RFID chips are required in cattle now to tract them back to birth. It is not a dead horse. I know all about that too. I am the RFID GURU

Zombiewire

05-08-2005, 07:15 AM

Awww, C'mon James, there's no part of that 6 pack (or 12 pack for that matter) that's going anyplace ANYONE cares about . . cept inna dumpster on it's way to th' landfill!

That is of course if the consumer isn't in a fast moving car on the I . . then let 'em track it . . . !

Have you seen the Coke commercial of how this can has a tracking chip in it and when you push the button on the can, you may be a winner. They say" you don not have to find us we will find you." Then they show a helicopter in this guys back yard shortly after.
Large. Everything I post you have a negative reply. You reply with little facts to back it up. I do not go to your post and tell you that you are wrong on your ideas. We all come here to share information. so please if you do not have facts to back up your statements then it is better to say nothing at all. You know what they say about the word ASSUME?

here is the Coke can link http://www.networkworld.com/weblogs/layer8/005828.html

large

05-08-2005, 08:37 AM

Hey, pal, the bogeyman ain't the chip, it's the a**holes that gain the information and what they do with it.

Would you like me to go to an available Data Company, pay them $40 for the personal information they have attached to YOUR name and SS#, then publish it on this site? It will include: Your full name, your current and all past addresses, your personal and real property, your criminal and driving records, your credit rating as well as a list of your current debts, and of course your occupation, and if self employed, as you are, the current credit condition of your company. I bet you don't!

How's that for FACTS, AND A FIRM ANSWER to your cheap shot?

I keep saying, and someday all you people will understand, BIG BROTHER already exists, they already know more about you than you do, and the information isn't secret, but is available to any swinging D**K who wants to pay for it!

And again, I have to say, I have some doubt in your sincerity, because you have admitted to owning stock in the technology. How are we to know that you haven't invested heavily in the "Tagzapper" and are using many available forums as a way of furthering interest and purchase of your investment. I know for a fact that you are currently posting on Five Forums . .

As a fellow poster on another forum sez; "Follow the money!"

See where I'm coming from?

Zombiewire

05-08-2005, 11:20 AM

I think i am at at least 50 forums. Yes I would invest in the Tagzapper for it is the only tool that kills the RFID chip. I have sold all my RFID stock. I am sorry if I had a cheap shot. I am just passionate at what I am doing. I respect yours takes on RFID. what you say about information can be gained very easy, however I can not cover every subject. There should always be a balance and you bring that to the table. James

Hey, pal, the bogeyman ain't the chip, it's the a**holes that gain the information and what they do with it.

Would you like me to go to an available Data Company, pay them $40 for the personal information they have attached to YOUR name and SS#, then publish it on this site? It will include: Your full name, your current and all past addresses, your personal and real property, your criminal and driving records, your credit rating as well as a list of your current debts, and of course your occupation, and if self employed, as you are, the current credit condition of your company. I bet you don't!

How's that for FACTS, AND A FIRM ANSWER to your cheap shot?

I keep saying, and someday all you people will understand, BIG BROTHER already exists, they already know more about you than you do, and the information isn't secret, but is available to any swinging D**K who wants to pay for it!

And again, I have to say, I have some doubt in your sincerity, because you have admitted to owning stock in the technology. How are we to know that you haven't invested heavily in the "Tagzapper" and are using many available forums as a way of furthering interest and purchase of your investment. I know for a fact that you are currently posting on Five Forums . .

As a fellow poster on another forum sez; "Follow the money!"

See where I'm coming from?

large

05-08-2005, 03:06 PM

Nahhh, I don't doubt that RFIDs aren't going to end up in court, and some uses outlawed and others restricted . . .

However, as I continue to say . . We gots problems right here in River City! The Big Brother is already here . . RFIDs are just a tool, quite like the computer (from which it sprung, or is that spranged?) and what we do with them is going to have to be constrained either by law directly or indirectly by legislating the sale of Data. I would prefer the latter.

As I said, you don't want everybody knowing EVERYTHING about you . . Me neither! So we need to mount some sort of defense against the proliferation of data gatherers and the sale of same!

As we spoke on another forum, the National ID thing is gonna get outa control because all th' watchdogs haaven't raised so much as a finger . . Seems to me, a RFID in your Driver's License would be tantamount to "Unreasonable search" laws . . . See where I'm at? And if we give the government those powers they're the same ones who give the Data Companies a lot of the information they have about you and me . . . .

Zen Curmudgeon

05-10-2005, 07:36 PM

The slightly paranoid approach Zombiewire takes to RFIDs came to mind as I read a short story called "And the Dish Ran Away with the Spoon" by Paul Di Fillipo.

In this story, RFID-implanted, WiFi-enabled products become commonplace and very very convenient. All is well until one day...

"The Volition Bug was launched anonymously from a site somewhere in a Central Asian republic. It propagated wirelessly among all the WiFi-communicating chipped objects, installing new directives in their tiny brains, directives that ran covertly in parallel with their normal facory-specified functions. Infected objects now sought to link their processing power with their nearest peers, often achieving surprising levels of Turingosity., and then to embark on a kind of independent communal life. Of course, once the Volition Bug was identified, antiviral defenses - both hardware and software - were attempted against it. But VB mutated ferociously, aided and abetted by subsequent hackers. "

It's an entertaining story, despite the death of the narrator's parents by a conglomeratation of RFID-equipped home appliances (an electric carving knife) and the near loss of his lover (due to the erotic attentions of an RFID'd Hoover vacuum cleaner). But if you want to travel down the paranoid road, it's a good read. As contemporary science fiction, it's still entertaining. I found it in "The World's Best Science Fiction" 21st edition, edited by Gardner Dozois.

Take Care -

ZC

Zombiewire

05-11-2005, 08:28 AM

My child read this book to me and it reminded me of zen

LITTLE JACK HORNER
Little Jack Horner
Sat in the corner,
Eating of Christmas pie:
He put in his thumb,
And pulled out a plum,
And said, “What a good boy am I!”

The slightly paranoid approach Zombiewire takes to RFIDs came to mind as I read a short story called "And the Dish Ran Away with the Spoon" by Paul Di Fillipo.

In this story, RFID-implanted, WiFi-enabled products become commonplace and very very convenient. All is well until one day...

"The Volition Bug was launched anonymously from a site somewhere in a Central Asian republic. It propagated wirelessly among all the WiFi-communicating chipped objects, installing new directives in their tiny brains, directives that ran covertly in parallel with their normal facory-specified functions. Infected objects now sought to link their processing power with their nearest peers, often achieving surprising levels of Turingosity., and then to embark on a kind of independent communal life. Of course, once the Volition Bug was identified, antiviral defenses - both hardware and software - were attempted against it. But VB mutated ferociously, aided and abetted by subsequent hackers. "

It's an entertaining story, despite the death of the narrator's parents by a conglomeratation of RFID-equipped home appliances (an electric carving knife) and the near loss of his lover (due to the erotic attentions of an RFID'd Hoover vacuum cleaner). But if you want to travel down the paranoid road, it's a good read. As contemporary science fiction, it's still entertaining. I found it in "The World's Best Science Fiction" 21st edition, edited by Gardner Dozois.

Take Care -

ZC

Zen Curmudgeon

05-11-2005, 07:03 PM

There was a small Arfid
Attached to a shoe.
It broadcast its data
To - you know who.

It hooked up to WiFi
Without any art.
And now all your secrets
Are known to WalMart.

:)

Take Care

ZC

Zombiewire

05-22-2005, 08:46 PM

Some cafes and retail stores in Seattle next week will begin individually marketing products and services to bypassers in Seattle using RFID (radio frequency identification) technology.

The first target group is visually and hearing-impaired individuals who can benefit from positioning and navigation applications added to the system.

Six wireless public areas, called activation fields, will go live next week throughout downtown Seattle and at the city's ferry terminal. Over a few months 15 more city areas will be added. Users carrying an active tag and entering the activation field are recognized as the tag is read, and then are presented with announcements.

"Speakers are mounted on the telephone booth or the facade of the store. So they will be above the individual's head when they pass underneath or nearby," said Harry H Hart. III, founder and chief executive officer of Seattle's Awarea, which owns and manages the system.

Users of the personalized marketing system carry an active RFID tag roughly the size of a stack of four credit cards. When the tag comes within 100 feet of a transmitter sending low frequency signals at 126 kilohertz, the tag transmits a unique identification signal to a receiver connected to a monitoring and execution server.

Depending on what information the system has filed on the individual carrying the tag, the server selects the correct file to output -- either an audio file in Wave-format for an announcement or a Quicktime file for sign language to be displayed on a video monitor. The first message could be the address and sale information from a nearby retailer.

Customers needing more information can push a tell-me-more-button, explained Ben Donohue, vice president of business development for Axcess, which is providing the hardware and designing the system.

Data about the customer can be mined and sold to the retailers, Donohue said. It can also be used to personalize marketing and map customer behavior.

One hundred thirty active RFID tags have been in use at a test site with only one transmitter at Pioneer Square in Seattle for a year. Beginning June 1, when more transmitters are activated in downtown Seattle constituting six tag activation zones, more tags will be sold and rented.

Awarea plans to market the system at the National Federation of the Blind of Washington's legislative luncheon this weekend.

Assistive technology could include safety and navigation information displayed on a personal digital assistant or a smart phone. The information could also be delivered in audio format the same way as it is today to speakers mounted in information zones or to a Braille reader.

Other possible applications might be for tourists who might want guidance in the downtown Seattle area.

http://www.computerworld.com.au/index.php/id%3b608893675%3bfp%3b16%3bfpid%3b0

Is Pueblo next?

Zombiewire

06-09-2005, 06:58 AM

Colorado has been selected as one of two markets for the rollout of Chase Bank's new "Blink" credit card that uses wireless technology to speed transactions.

The new cards will have a radio-frequency identification tag embedded in them so that shoppers can just wave the card past a reader instead of swiping it. Georgia is the other initial market.

RFID tags have become popular aids for inventory control and the little square maze-like chips can be found attached to many consumer items. Some oil companies started using them a couple of years ago for gasoline sales and MasterCard and American Express also have done some test marketing of the devices.

Scott Rau, senior vice president of payments for Chase card services, said that the new cards will be distributed to 500,000 Chase credit card customers in Colorado over the coming weeks. Holders of Chase cards and cards issued through Bank One, which does not have a presence in Pueblo, will be the first to get them. Other partners with Chase like Amazon.com, United Airlines and others will decide on their own timetables.

So far, Arby's, 7-Eleven and Walgreen's have agreed to install readers. Officials from those merchants did not know how soon readers would be installed in their Pueblo outlets. The readers will cost merchants between $100 and $150 each, Rau said.

The new cards only have to be held near a point-of-sale terminal equipped for RFID technology and the terminal will emit a tone and light up to signal payment confirmation.

Chase officials say that the system improves customer security because it does not leave a printed record of their credit card number in the store.

Some computer experts have expressed fears, however, that hackers will find ways to read the RFID tags as they pass by a credit-card holder.

To protect the data, the information is encrypted.

One of the other benefits of the system is speed, especially in fast-food restaurants.
http://www.chieftain.com/business/1118318235/4

large

06-09-2005, 12:43 PM

OK, as I've said, RFID technology can and probably be a boon to the retailers, the banks, and other businesses who strive to have a "Paperless Society". Also I've said that there should be some checks and balances to guard against misuse . . .

That being said . . . At this time the technology is proliferating, quantum leaps are being made and tested in it's use . . .

But your Congressman isn't listening . . . apparently he doesn't care . . .

While there have been two hearings in the House of Represenatives last year and the year before, nothing has ever come of either . . they were "Fact Finding Hearings" and that's all . . . .

My bet is . . just like the privacy oversight that our banks and credit reporting agencies seem to dodge, RFID will be put to use with no oversight or restraints . . . and YOUR personal information will still be out there for anyone that wants it! And it doesn't matter whether they read that information from an 8.5 X 11 piece of paper or on a LCD screen . . it's out there!

Zen Curmudgeon

06-09-2005, 09:38 PM

I can't use the common word "wiseass" without automatic editing but ZW's little animated man can touch himself more frequently than Michael Jackson at a Cub Scout rally without any equivalent censorship.

Dude, WTF?

Take Care -

ZC

PS

Ahaa! Using quotation marks defeats the apparently spell-check-dependant "naughty word" detector. Good to know.

ZC

Zombiewire

06-10-2005, 08:45 AM

I agree! However you are over looking the tracking of the rfid chip. That is the issue.

OK, as I've said, RFID technology can and probably be a boon to the retailers, the banks, and other businesses who strive to have a "Paperless Society". Also I've said that there should be some checks and balances to guard against misuse . . .

That being said . . . At this time the technology is proliferating, quantum leaps are being made and tested in it's use . . .

But your Congressman isn't listening . . . apparently he doesn't care . . .

While there have been two hearings in the House of Represenatives last year and the year before, nothing has ever come of either . . they were "Fact Finding Hearings" and that's all . . . .

My bet is . . just like the privacy oversight that our banks and credit reporting agencies seem to dodge, RFID will be put to use with no oversight or restraints . . . and YOUR personal information will still be out there for anyone that wants it! And it doesn't matter whether they read that information from an 8.5 X 11 piece of paper or on a LCD screen . . it's out there!

Zen Curmudgeon

07-14-2005, 05:19 AM

RFID Foes Find Righteous Ally
By Mark Baard

Story location: http://www.wired.com/news/privacy/0,1848,68133,00.html

02:00 AM Jul. 14, 2005 PT

Privacy advocate Katherine Albrecht, an opponent of the use of radio tags on consumer goods and in ID documents, is a woman any X-Files fan could love.

She's youthful-looking and attractive, with fair skin and cherry-blonde hair. A former schoolteacher, Albrecht also has a master's degree from Harvard, where she is completing a doctoral degree.

Albrecht is suspicious of the government and big business. She's been an electrifying guest on Coast to Coast AM, the cult radio show featuring talk about aliens, ghosts, conspiracies and cryptozoology.

As director of the consumer privacy group Caspian, Albrecht is a darling of the mainstream news media too. In hundreds of interviews, in a list of publications that includes Business Week and Times of London, she has warned of privacy risks posed by RFID tags, the radio devices that retailers plan to use as a replacement for bar-code labels.

Albrecht fears that retailers will match the data emitted by the tags with their customers' information, turning each tag into a potential tracking beacon. She also suspects the government will want access to the retailers' RFID databases.

But one aspect of Albrecht's anti-RFID crusade has been attracting a lot of attention from other privacy groups: her religious beliefs.

Albrecht does not often discuss her religious views with reporters. But she believes that RFID technology may be part of the fulfillment of the Mark of the Beast prophesied in the Book of Revelation.

Other privacy rights advocates want Albrecht to help them connect with Christians who believe that RFID tags -- tiny chips that emit serial numbers -- are the Mark of the Beast. Many of those Christians believe humans one day will be compelled to bear a mark on their heads or wrists, to engage in the buying and selling of goods.

"Sometimes, it's as if they are saying, 'Hooray, we've got one (a Christian) in our midst,'" said Albrecht. "'Maybe she can tell us what to do.'"

Bill Scannell, a privacy advocate, and Lee Tien, senior staff attorney at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, are among those who have talked to Albrecht about reaching out to Christians who take parts of the Bible literally.

"Many of us in the mainstream privacy community," said Tien, "don't know how to reach out to (the Christian community)."

Albrecht is already reaching at least a few of her fellow Christians, through videos produced by Endtime Ministries, that link RFID to the Book of Revelation.

"The Mark of the Beast, 666: a prophesy from 2000 years ago," says Albrecht, at the beginning of her video, On the Brink of the Mark, produced two years ago. "How many people (know that) technological developments of the last 10 to 20 years could be combining to make the Mark of the Beast a reality, and possibly even in our lifetimes?"

Endtime, based in Richmond, Indiana, claims to have sold thousands of copies of On the Brink of the Mark and other videos featuring Albrecht.

Albrecht has been a guest on Endtime's radio program, Politics and Religion, as well as other religious programs. She also has a book deal with Thomas Nelson, the Christian book publisher.

With a Bible-thumper in the White House, and the popular success of the Left Behind series of Christian-themed novels, American culture may be ready to hear Albrecht's message that RFID tags, such as the rather bizarre VeriChip implant, may become the must-have gadget for any servant of Satan.

"The impact Katherine could have on America's Christians is significant," said Politics and Religion co-host Edward Sax. "If she wanted to start a political movement, she could."

Scannell and Tien do not share Albrecht's biblical interpretations.

But there is nothing wrong with people who oppose RFID for theological reasons, said Scannell.

"I have a lot of time for Katherine Albrecht and for the Endtime people, when it comes to this particular issue," said Scannell, who has himself appeared on the Politics and Religion radio program. "I can work with anyone willing to fight this stuff."

The RFID industry must pay attention to the concerns of those who believe RFID may become the Mark of the Beast, said Peter de Jager, an expert on the adoption of new technologies.

"You have to take the social context into account when implementing a technology," said de Jager.

But some companies "are laughing in the face of the opposition, almost daring people to resist them," said de Jager. "And you don't do that to consumers."

But retailers may not have much to fear, as long as Christians don't have to pay more for their goods, said Tim Miller, professor of religious studies at the University of Kansas and chairman of the editorial board of the Religious Movements Homepage at the University of Virginia.

"There may be lots and lots of preaching," said Miller, speaking of potential religious opposition to RFID tags. "But as long as the bargains are there, any boycott will not likely have much adverse effect."

large

07-14-2005, 11:09 AM

With all due respect to those concerned about the RFID Technology and it's potential invasion on Personal Privacy . . . IT WILL INVADE YOUR PERSONAL PRIVACY! . . . but, in this age of "Information" everything we do socially and economically invades our personal privacy . . when we write a check, when we use a credit of debit card, when we use the postal service, when we apply for a rebate on an item we have bought, when we purchase major purchases, and even when we pay our taxes, both income and property . . the more you interact with the business community, the more information you provide someone about yourself, your likes and dislikes, your spending habits, your travel habits, etc . . I think we're conveying the idea here . . . . do you get it yet?

It doesn't matter how that information is gleaned, nor apparently, what information is gleaned . . . But the Anti-RFID crowd, either based on religion (that's kinda goofy really) or Anti-technocrats have latched onto this particular Technology more or less after the fact . . . and are screaming about the sky . . It's falling once again!

Already fell, sports fans . . the information people already know more about the average American that we even have a clue about . . What in the world can RFIDs tell anybody that isn't already known? You just have to ask the right people!

This has got to be one of those "GET A LIFE!" issues . . . .

Zombiewire

07-16-2005, 08:38 AM

Mark Of The Beast
July 14th, 2005

Privacy advocate Katherine Albrecht, an opponent of the use of radio tags on consumer goods and in ID documents, is a woman any X-Files fan could love. She's youthful-looking and attractive, with fair skin and cherry-blonde hair. A former schoolteacher, Albrecht also has a master's degree from Harvard, where she is completing a doctoral degree. See photoAlbrecht is suspicious of the government and big business. She's been an electrifying guest on Coast to Coast AM, the cult radio show featuring talk about aliens, ghosts, conspiracies and cryptozoology. As director of the consumer privacy group Caspian,
>>>>> Read the rest http://www.rfidetail.com

regards, James

Zen Curmudgeon

07-19-2005, 07:12 PM

http://www.physorg.com/news5289.html

First RFID system with UHF technology successfully in operation

Cinram, leader vendor of pre-recorded CDs and DVDs, and Siemens Automation and Drives (A&D) have jointly implemented an RFID (radio frequency identification) solution in the UHF (ultra high frequency) range. To optimize supply logistics, two loading doors at the incoming goods area of Cinram's central materials warehouse in Alsfeld near Cologne, Germany have been equipped with the new Simatic RF 600 RFID system from Siemens.

Selected Cinram suppliers equip their supply units with data carriers known as RFID tags. The supplied goods are recorded and analyzed automatically. The RFID gate reader, enclosed in a rugged housing, has been field-proven to withstand the harsh environmental conditions prevailing at the loading gate: Almost a hundred percent of the data carriers were correctly recorded. After successful completion of the pilot phase, the system is now in normal operation. Cinram intends gradually convincing its top suppliers to introduce RFID technology. Since the data carrier is still attached to the packaging after the goods have been placed in storage, the intention is to use RFID to optimize further steps in the logistics chain beyond inbound logistics.

In the current RFID solution, the data stored on the tag at delivery are compared with an electronic delivery notice transmitted in advance. If the delivery agrees with the advice, the system automatically enters the incoming goods into the SAP system. Previously, the incoming goods were recorded manually and then entered in SAP – a time-consuming process. The quality of the logistics chain has also been significantly improved using RFID because a mistaken delivery can be reliably detected before the goods are stored in the warehouse. Previously, there was no comparison of the delivered goods with the delivery advice, so a mistaken delivery was only detected further down the process. The SAP connection is based on a software module from Siemens and has been implemented jointly with Cinram.

Zen Curmudgeon

07-20-2005, 03:36 PM

http://news.com.com/Former+Bush+official+to+get+RFID+tag/2100-1029_3-5793685.html?part=rss&tag=5793685&subj=news

Former Bush official to get RFID tag
Published: July 18, 2005, 4:43 PM PDT
By Michael Kanellos
Staff Writer, CNET News.com

Tommy Thompson, the Health and Human Services Secretary in President Bush's first term and a former Governor of Wisconsin, is going to get tagged.

Thompson has joined the board of Applied Digital, which owns VeriChip, the company that specializes in subcutaneous RFID tags for humans and pets.

To help promote the concepts behind the technology, Thompson himself will get an RFID tag implanted under his skin.

Human RFID tags have emerged as one of the more controversial technologies in years. Civil libertarians theorize that the chips will allow governments or corporations to track people's movement and behavior. Some Christians have said the chips are so evil they fulfill a biblical prophesy about satanic influences.

Advocates, on the other hand, say the chips will contain personal information that will help medical professionals and others provide emergency treatment. The chip provides a form of identification that's tough to lose. By clicking the number found on the chip into a password-restricted database, paramedics can get an accident victim's medical history in the field. (One of VeriChip's scientists came up with the idea of using the company's pet RFID tags on people after watching rescue workers struggle to find the missing after the Sept. 11 tragedy.) >>snip<<

Zombiewire

08-06-2005, 05:55 PM

By failing to scan security codes in the magnetic strips on ATM and debit cards, many banks are letting thieves get away with an increasingly common fraud at a cost of several billion dollars a year.

A report Tuesday from Gartner Inc., a technology analyst firm, estimates that 3 million US consumers were victims of ATM and debit-card fraud in the past year.

The fraud most commonly begins when a criminal engages in "phishing" -- sending a legitimate-seeming e-mail with a link to a phony Web site that appears to belong to a consumer's bank, Gartner analyst Avivah Litan believes. The e-mail recipients are asked to give their account information, including PIN numbers.

With that information "harvested," fraudsters can make their own cards for automated teller machines and withdraw huge sums.
read the rest >>>>>
http://pueblohometech.com/index.php?ax=view&id=23

Zombiewire

08-09-2005, 07:03 AM

ALEXANDRIA BAY, N.Y. â€“ Foreign travelers will notice few changes getting into and out of the United States while border officials test radio identification tags at five crossings into Canada and Mexico, including the Blaine location in Washington, a top Homeland Security official said Monday.
The radio tags will be part of the standard registration process for entering the United States. The wireless technology is nearly identical to that being used to speed up passage at toll booths on many of the nationâ€™s highways, said P.T. Wright, the operations director for the U.S. Department of Homeland Securityâ€™s US-VISIT Program.

â€œYouâ€™re not going to see much change, and thatâ€™s the key message,â€ said Wright, who joined U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials to demonstrate the system at the Thousand Islands Bridge crossing from Canada into New York.

More on the story>>>http://www.rfidetail.com

Digger Dan

08-10-2005, 06:59 AM

The only good thing about Corporate America forgetting about us poor is that we can confuse the bejabbers out of them with our purchases of used items that have been RFID tagged. Government and Corporate America will do anything to try to control our activities so as to have us follow them like obedient puppies. They never seem to learn that generic people are always smarter than they--just takes more time to get generic people to put their minds and muscles together to take the dummies out--exploiters never seem to get it. Too bad the price is so high for generic people--but how sweet it is when they win.

Zombiewire

08-10-2005, 09:01 PM

The British government is preparing to test new high-tech license plates containing microchips capable of transmitting unique vehicle identification numbers and other data to readers more than 300 feet away, Wired reported.

Officials in the US say they'll be closely watching the British trial as they contemplate initiating their own tests of the plates, which incorporate radio frequency identification, or RFID, tags to make vehicles electronically trackable. So-called "active" RFID tags, like the one in the e-Plate made by the UK firm Hills Numberplates, have built-in batteries, allowing them to broadcast data much farther than the small passive tags used to track inventory at retail stores. Proponents argue that making such RFID tags mandatory and ubiquitous is a logical move to counter the threat of terrorists using the roadways, and that it will scoop up insurance and registration scofflaws in the process.

Privacy advocates are less enthusiastic about the technology. "It's too easy for RFID license plates to become a back-door surveillance tool," said Jim Harper, director of information studies at libertarian think tank the Cato Institute and a member of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Data Privacy and Integrity Advisory Committee. The point of the UK test is to see whether microchips will make number plates harder to tamper with and clone.
'Black Box' Recommended for All Vehicles http://zombiewire.com/?php=index&ax=view&id=253

Zombiewire

08-14-2005, 09:50 AM

Hey how can you find MR X

Simply type in MR X in Google search and wham. MR X is at the intersection of B Street and 18th . The new Eplate is read with and RFID reader. The reader is connected to the WIFI system.

check it out! www.zombiewire.com

Zen Curmudgeon

08-16-2005, 05:11 AM

RFID: The Future Is in the Chips
By Joanna Glasner

Story location: http://www.wired.com/news/business/0,1367,68500,00.html

02:00 AM Aug. 16, 2005 PT

Future Stock Columnist Joanna Glasner
Future Stock
RFID tags -- tiny chips attached to antennae that store remotely readable data -- are hardly a new invention. But, until recently, businesses and government agencies were hard-pressed to find cost-effective uses for the devices.

As tag prices drop and industry standards solidify, however, RFID, or radio frequency identification technology, is gaining traction. Today, RFID, which is based on technology initially developed in the 1950s, is incorporated in everything from toll-booth EZPass systems to casino chips to card keys for entering an office after hours.

There's much more at the link above

Take Care -

ZC

Zombiewire

08-16-2005, 06:41 AM

Thompson has joined the board of Applied Digital, which owns VeriChip, the company that specializes in subcutaneous RFID tags for humans and pets.

NOW that story is scary!

The real name of that chip is Angel chip

Digital Angel's chip cleared for use in humans http://twincities.bizjournals.com/twincities/stories/2004/10/11/daily30.html

Find out more on Verichip and mre at Zombiewire

Zombiewire

08-16-2005, 08:00 PM

What? http://www.aimglobal.org/members/news/templates/aimpress.asp? articleid=223&zoneid=1

go figure!

you have to hear this http://www.theedgeam.com/interviews/Katherine%20Albrecht%2005.14.05.mp3

Zombiewire

09-04-2005, 07:43 AM

John Battelle, the tech publishing guru who co-founded Wired magazine and founded the Industry Standard magazine, is coming out in mid-September with a book on Google and the Internet search industry. In an interview with Mercury News Staff Writer Michael Bazeley, he talked about his vision that someday most objects we value -- including our pets -- will be tagged with an electronic RFID chip and linked to a searchable database. He also discussed what surprised him about Google. Here are edited excerpts from the interview:

Q This idea of Googling your dog and using RFID to find your luggage and things. That's a bit creepy, is it not, to know that somebody knows us that well?

A It's entirely creepy. It's just as creepy as a little machine in your house that rings a bell and when you pick it up, someone's on the other end who can talk to you. It's like one of these things that's totally creepy until the culture gets used to it and then all of sudden it seems totally normal.

My thesis is that everything of value will have a chip in it. And everything of value with a chip in it will be connected to the index, the index broadly meaning that it will be findable through any number of ways, through a computing medium. . . . As a culture we will get to the point where, if it can be found, it will be found through this infrastructure of search.
the rest of the story>>>http://go.rfidetail.com/

Zombiewire

09-17-2005, 08:37 AM

Disaster relief crews are adopting radio frequency tags to help them identify victims of Hurricane Katrina.

The U.S. Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Team (DMORT) and health officials in Mississippi's Harrison County are implanting human cadavers with RFID chips from VeriChip in an effort to speed up the process of identifying victims and providing information to families, VeriChip said Friday. In addition, the County Medical Examiner's office in Lafayette County, Miss., said it will stock RFID chips and scanners for future disaster relief. Louisiana is also expected to begin using the system soon, which should help officials cope with the estimated 500 unidentified bodies in the state.

VeriChip has been marketing the human RFID systems, which have attracted much controversy, over the past two years. Advocates say that implanting chips into humans will one day help doctors and emergency medical personnel rapidly access an individual's medical history or identify them. The idea for the technology came when an employee of Applied Digital, VeriChip's parent company, watched emergency crews on TV trying to identify victims of the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.

RFID bracelets have also been adopted in prisons and jails to reduce inmate violence.

Opponents, however, contend that embedding RFID chips into people will erode civil liberties and privacy. Several Christian groups also object, asserting the chips violate their beliefs.

Previous Next Adopting RFID for disaster recovery in this manner improves record keeping, VeriChip said. When relief workers find an unidentified body, they insert a chip and enter information about the location, physical condition and characteristics of the body. Some also take digital photographs. The data is then cross-checked against a database, being compiled, that contains information from families about missing persons in that area.

Cross-checking the data will ideally enable workers and families to identify victims more rapidly. The RFID tags will allow relief workers to identify and find the body again.

"While difficult to think about, such technologies will greatly assist in the disaster recovery efforts by speeding the process of cadaver processing, reducing error and facilitating the reunification of the deceased with their loved ones," VeriChip said.

Zen Curmudgeon

09-20-2005, 05:10 AM

Wonder if Walmart wll be an early adopter...?:)

MasterCard says millions no-touch cards to be issued

Mon Sep 19, 2005 1:07 PM ET

By James B. Kelleher

MEMPHIS, Sept 19 (Reuters) - A top executive with Mastercard Inc. (MA.N: Quote, Profile, Research) said on Monday the company, the world's No. 2 credit-card association, expected to have 4 million so-called "pay pass" cards in circulation by year's end.

Speaking at an industry conference here, Ruth Ann Marshall, Americas president for MasterCard, said that Citibank, HSBC and Key Bank had all begun offering the cards, which are equipped with a radio-frequency chip that allows customers to pay for purchases by simply waving their cards at readers posted near cash registers or gas pumps.

Marshall said the pay-pass cards were "easier to use than cash" and were one of the products MasterCard was counting on to increase revenue and profits as it faces a variety of challenges in the marketplace, including new rivals and regulatory scrutiny.

Take Care -

ZC

Zombiewire

09-20-2005, 06:05 AM

Thanks for the heads up on the story. They call this type of payment " Contactless Payment" Eventually you will go in the store grab your items with RFID tags on them and walk right out without dealing with a clerk.

Wonder if Walmart wll be an early adopter...?:)

MasterCard says millions no-touch cards to be issued

Mon Sep 19, 2005 1:07 PM ET

By James B. Kelleher

MEMPHIS, Sept 19 (Reuters) - A top executive with Mastercard Inc. (MA.N: Quote, Profile, Research) said on Monday the company, the world's No. 2 credit-card association, expected to have 4 million so-called "pay pass" cards in circulation by year's end.

Speaking at an industry conference here, Ruth Ann Marshall, Americas president for MasterCard, said that Citibank, HSBC and Key Bank had all begun offering the cards, which are equipped with a radio-frequency chip that allows customers to pay for purchases by simply waving their cards at readers posted near cash registers or gas pumps.

Marshall said the pay-pass cards were "easier to use than cash" and were one of the products MasterCard was counting on to increase revenue and profits as it faces a variety of challenges in the marketplace, including new rivals and regulatory scrutiny.

Take Care -

ZC

Zombiewire

09-23-2005, 06:37 AM

Does this ring a bell? You wait until you are walking around with RFID tags in your underware..................

Japan is known for its innovation in creating consumer products that integrate technology. The Japanese are much further ahead of the United States, Europe and other areas in this regard, as evidenced by this example of technology that combines a mirror with a computer display, called "miragraphy":
"Hitachi announced ... a new mirror that functions as a computer display. It will be available for purchase in Japan on Septermber 30.
It combines a half mirror and a diffusion film to directly display digital information (text, photos, video, tv shows, websites, flash movies etc.) on a mirror surface using an LCD projector. This technology, called Miragraphy, also integrates sensors, RFID readers, barcode readers, cameras, etc. So, the mirror can automatically respond when people are aruond and personalize digital contents based on their sensed identities.

The Miragraphy device could potentially be used at restaurants, bars, hotels, trainstations, airports, sports clubs, show windows, designer clothing shops, and accessory shops."

Thanks to RFID Weblog for this story

http://www.rfid-weblog.com/

Zombiewire

09-30-2005, 08:34 AM

I Have a Chip, but It's Not on My Shoulder

By Catherine Getches

Can a microscopic tag be implanted in a person's body to track his every movement? There's actual discussion about that. You will rule on that -- mark my words -- before your tenure is over.

-- Sen. Joseph Biden, to Judge John Roberts at his confirmation hearings, Sept. 12

I can't wait for the day when we all have microchips implanted in our heads. It's exciting to be so close -- pet owners are already implanting VeriChips in their animals to help track them down, motorists have OnStar on call to pinpoint their location in case of emergency, and by 2006 the State Department plans to put Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags into new U.S. passports to keep track of us.

We're already scrutinized by surveillance cameras at stoplights and in public places, and the reauthorized USA Patriot Act gives the feds even more opportunities to search my house. So I say, why bother with all the inevitable lawsuits and legislative hot air? Let's skip to the next logical step. I hereby volunteer to be an RFID guinea pig. Just insert the chip discreetly beneath my scalp, so I can get started on my easy-as-E-ZPass existence.

the rest of the story www.rfidetail.com

Zen Curmudgeon

10-05-2005, 06:56 PM

http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,69068,00.html?tw=rss.TOP

Spychips Sees an RFID Conspiracy

By Mark Baard
02:00 AM Oct. 05, 2005 PT

A new book by privacy advocates makes the case that corporations and government agencies are in collusion to put tiny radio transmitters on nearly everything we buy. Companies say it's about providing thought leadership, not the Mark of the Beast.

...Spychips is published by the Christian media publisher Thomas Nelson, and a forthcoming Christian edition of the book will contain an additional chapter linking RFID to the Mark of the Beast passage in the Bible's Book of Revelation, as well as "minor updates throughout the text to reflect Christian concerns," said Albrecht.

The Spychips Threat: Why Christians Should Oppose RFID Technology and Surveillance is due out in January 2006.

Take Care -

ZC

Zombiewire

10-06-2005, 06:01 AM

(Katherine said that this book will blow the doors open. Katherine received her masters from
Harvard University.)

The Book we have all been waiting for is just around the corner. It’s the inside scoop of Caspian founder Katherine Albrecht.

There are so many facts and fallacies whirling about in the so-called RFID News arena that to finally read the truth with out the spins from the RFID investors of how we will enjoy the new life of RFID tracking and get the scoop from someone we all admire and trust would be most refreshing and rewarding.

We have seen Katherine labor all over the world in an effort to protect consumers from being exploited by big businesses. She has opened the eyes of the masses to what is really taking place behind closed board room doors.

Having been compared to the biblical character of David (from “David and Goliath”), we see that she has successfully taken on the big business “Goliaths”, and I can not say that there has been a more proactive human to standup against them. These Goliaths have unsuccessfully tried to smear her reputation but this has only served to eventually expose their own greedy intentions.

For being such a power puncher, this gracefully articulate woman shows class.

Having essentially devoted her entire life to this cause, she has worked incessantly for over five years, drawing no salary for the long hours she's worked to bring attention to this most important matter. She pays for her own airfare to testify around the country braving personal attacks and talking for hundreds of hours to the media. One could easily conclude, then, that she must be spending thousands dollars out of her own pocket in order to spread the word.

I think the release of this book is long over due and is a “must read” for everyone.

http://zombiewire.com/?php=index&ax=view&id=206 <<<book link

large

10-06-2005, 08:21 AM

Zen Curmudgeon

10-06-2005, 09:25 PM

(Katherine said that this book will blow the doors open. Katherine received her masters from Harvard University.)Oh, dear. I wanted to learn more about this lady to decide if her book was worth the purchase. I admit I'm skeptical by nature, and the Internet is such a rich information source, and Google is such a cool search algorithm and, well, I am always suspicious of folks who have two editions of a book designed for two niche markets, and well, so far as I can tell...

Kathryn Albrecht does not have a master's degree from Harvard University in "Instructional Technology". 'Tain't no such postgrad program. The Harvard Extension School used to offer a graduate certificate in K-12 technologies of education but that program is defunct. She may be in a PhD program, but there's no evidence of that on either of her websites.

Even if the info now available on the 'Net is misleading, it's hard to see how "Instructional Technology" (what is that anyhow? video machines, Net Meeting, handicapped accesible software?) prepares someone with a Bachelor's in Business Admin for criticism of electrical engineering projects.

Am I missing something crucial? Can someone point me to sources that independently support Ms. Albrecht's claims of expertise? I mean, seriously - how can I be sure she isn't another in that legion of conspiracy theorists occupying an attractive but largely mythical grassy knoll?

Take Care -

ZC

Zombiewire

10-07-2005, 06:08 AM

Zen and the Art of....
Here is a link for you ZC regards ZW http://zombiewire.com/?n=174&id=174

Oh, dear. I wanted to learn more about this lady to decide if her book was worth the purchase. I admit I'm skeptical by nature, and the Internet is such a rich information source, and Google is such a cool search algorithm and, well, I am always suspicious of folks who have two editions of a book designed for two niche markets, and well, so far as I can tell...

Kathryn Albrecht does not have a master's degree from Harvard University in "Instructional Technology". 'Tain't no such postgrad program. The Harvard Extension School used to offer a graduate certificate in K-12 technologies of education but that program is defunct. She may be in a PhD program, but there's no evidence of that on either of her websites.

Even if the info now available on the 'Net is misleading, it's hard to see how "Instructional Technology" (what is that anyhow? video machines, Net Meeting, handicapped accesible software?) prepares someone with a Bachelor's in Business Admin for criticism of electrical engineering projects.

Am I missing something crucial? Can someone point me to sources that independently support Ms. Albrecht's claims of expertise? I mean, seriously - how can I be sure she isn't another in that legion of conspiracy theorists occupying an attractive but largely mythical grassy knoll?

Take Care -

ZC

DMad

10-07-2005, 08:05 AM

While I would admit readily to the charge that RFID Technology opens a big door into the average American's (or other) privacy rights . . . It's just another step into the future that must be made . . it (RFID technology) is another "Genie" that's been loosed from it's Bottle . . and we cannot put it back in . . That simple . .

While it can (and may) be controlled by certain regulation, it will be another means for the Human Race to keep track of the many things we wish to count . . including each other . . and with each new step in that technology, it hastens the frequency that the counts can be conducted . . anyplace and anytime . . .

Basically I just wrote Katherine's Book . . in a very short form . . . .

Thank you, you just saved me $20!

I can understand the cries for caution surrounding RFID privacy abuse. Much like citizens in the early 1900's might have felt if they were told that coming soon would be devices that would be able to not only record still images of them without their permission, but would also be able to record running video of them and their family at any time without anyone having to control it. You could've taken that warning and spun it into all kinds of flavors of privacy abuse, stirring up the same emotions as RFID technology. There is the possibility to use almost anything in a manner that is unwelcome, unlawful, or unethical. But I think history shows these kinds of risks don't outweigh the advancing of technology on earth. I mean, let's face it, I wouldn't care to know the information that RFID could provide on a majority of the people who inhabit this earth.

large

10-07-2005, 08:54 AM

Well, if nothing else . . quite like the Lemming's march to the sea, Technology WILL advance because it's "Natural" . . human curiosity and inventiveness . . .

We can't stop it. but we can recognise the pitfalls and be aware of the consequences . .

Like Nuclear Power, it's absolutely the BEST way to generate Electricity . . you just have to be careful of where you throw the garbage! Heh, heh . . .

Zen Curmudgeon

10-08-2005, 12:30 PM

http://www.gizmag.com/go/4713/

The intelligent door handle

...authorized persons no longer need a key. The door handle identifies the code of the inexpensive chip with the aid of its transponder antenna. "If someone loses their chip, that's no problem," explains Erdmann. "They just get a new one, and have the code of the old one canceled." Linking the transponder to an automatic door opener offers added advantages for elderly or handicapped people, saving them the trouble of wielding keys or holding the door open in order to get inside the building.

Take Care -

ZC

DMad

10-09-2005, 07:08 PM

I have to say, I wouldn't mind not having to open a door in a secure location...

Zombiewire

10-12-2005, 06:21 AM

RFID stands for Radio Frequency IDentification, a technology that uses tiny computer chips smaller than a grain of sand to track items at a distance. RFID "spy chips" have been hidden in the packaging of Gillette razor products and in other products you might buy at a local Wal-Mart, Target, or Tesco - and they are already being used to spy on people.

Each tiny chip is hooked up to an antenna that picks up electromagnetic energy beamed at it from a reader device. When it picks up the energy, the chip sends back its unique identification number to the reader device, allowing the item to be remotely indentified. Spy chips can beam back information anywhere from a couple of inches to up to 20 or 30 feet away.

Some of the world's largest product manufacturers have been plotting behind closed doors since 1999 to develop and commercialize this technology. If they are not opposed, their plan is use these remote-readable spychips to replace the bar code.

RFID tags are NOT an "improved bar code" as the proponents of the technology would like you to believe. RFID technology differs from bar codes in three important ways:

1. With today's bar code technology, every can of Coke has the same UPC or bar code number as every other can (a can of Coke in Toronto has the same number as a can of Coke in Topeka). With RFID, each individual can of Coke would have a unique ID number which could be linked to the person buying it when they scan a credit card or a frequent shopper card (i.e., an "item registration system").

2. Unlike a bar code, these chips can be read from a distance, right through your clothes, wallet, backpack or purse -- without your knowledge or consent -- by anybody with the right reader device. In a way, it gives strangers X-ray vision powers to spy on you, to identify both you and the things you're wearing and carrying.

3. Unlike the bar code, RFID could be bad for your health. RFID supporters envision a world where RFID reader devices are everywhere - in stores, in floors, in doorways, on airplanes -- even in the refrigerators and medicine cabinets of our own homes. In such a world, we and our children would be continually bombarded with electromagnetic energy. Researchers do not know the long-term health effects of chronic exposure to the energy emitted by these reader devices.

Many huge corporations, including Philip Morris, Procter and Gamble, and Wal-Mart, have begun experimenting with RFID spy chip technology. Gillette is leading the pack, and recently placed an order for up to 500 million RFID tags from a company called "Alien Technology" (we kid you not). These big companies envision a day when every single product on the face of the planet is cataloged and tracked with RFID spychips!

As consumers we have no way of knowing which packages contain these chips. While some chips are visible inside a package (see our pictures of Gillette spy chips), RFID chips can be well hidden. For example they can be sewn into the seams of clothes, sandwiched between layers of cardboard, molded into plastic or rubber, and integrated into consumer package design.

This technology is rapidly evolving and becoming more sophisticated. RFID spychips can even be printed, meaning the dot on a printed letter "i" could be used to track you. In addition, the tell-tale copper antennas commonly seen attached to RFID chips can now be printed with conductive ink, making them nearly imperceptible. Companies are even experimenting with making the product packages themselves serve as antennas.

As you can see, it could soon be virtually impossible for a consumer to know whether a product or package contains an RFID spychip. For this reason, CASPIAN (the creator of this web site) is proposing federal labeling legislation, the RFID Right to Know Act, which would require complete disclosures on any consumer products containing RFID devices.

We believe the public has an absolute right to know when they are interacting with technology that could affect their health and privacy.

Don't you?

Join us. Let's fight back before big corporations track our every move.

For additional information, see "RFID: Tracking Everything Everywhere", an excerpt from an article by Harvard doctoral candidate and CASPIAN founder Katherine Albrecht, that appeared in the Summer 2002 issue of the Denver University Law Review
Spychips is a project of CASPIAN, Consumers Against Supermarket Privacy Invasion and Numbering (www.nocards.org). CASPIAN has been educating consumers about retail privacy issues since 1999.
This document is available online at: http://www.spychips.org/what-is-rfid-print.html

Zombiewire

10-14-2005, 06:13 PM

Study results due this week are expected to show that RFID helps reduce out-of-stock problems at Wal-Mart stores.

Consumers Against Supermarket Privacy Invasion and Numbering, a consumer privacy advocacy group, is calling for consumers to march on a Dallas Wal-Mart store on Saturday to protest its use of radio frequency identification technology. With protest signs in hand, privacy activist Katherine Albrecht, CASPIAN founder, will attend the march, along with Liz McIntyre, co-author of the newly published book "Spychips."
For more than a year Wal-Mart has been working with suppliers such as Hewlett-Packard & Co., Procter & Gamble, and other consumer goods companies to deploy a supply chain inventory tracking system based on RFID technology. Labels with the tiny RFID chips are affixed to cases and pallets before the supplier ships the goods from its distribution center in Sanger, Texas, to one of several stores â€“ most in the Dallas area â€“ where Wal-Mart has installed RFID readers and equipment â€“ most of them in the Dallas area â€“ before the products are shipped to participating stores.

The goal for Wal-Mart is to make sure that supplier merchandise, from razors and shaving cream to printers, are on the shelf instead of lost somewhere in a backroom when a customer comes looking for the item. Most suppliers participating in Wal-Mart's RFID project affix RFID labels to cases and pallets.

Small items such as toothbrushes are removed from cases and stocked on the shelf. Some of the larger items, such as Hewlett-Packard printers, are shipped with RFID tags on the side of individual boxes. They are stacked on shelves at the store in the original shipping carton, along with the shipping RFID label, instead of being removed from the box.

A Wal-Mart spokeswoman says the company has been open about its use of RFID. "The front entrance doors have a decal that notifies customers electronic product code tags may be in use in the store," she says. "If customers have questions, we have the pamphlets available for them. In our press release of April 30, 2004, we specifically state that HP printers and scanners will have tags on the outside packaging."

"Wal-Mart does not have any RFID readers on the sales floor, as some retailers do, and neither Wal-Mart nor its suppliers will be hiding tags," she adds. "We have said all along that for those people who remain cautious of the technology, the best avenue is simply to remove the tag once you've purchased the product."

"While we respect the privacy advocates and their efforts, we want to ensure customers have the complete story on how RFID will and will not be used in the retail industry," the spokeswoman says. She added: "Safety is always a top priority for us and customers should not have any concerns about shopping this weekend at our stores."

Wal-Mart next week is expected to publish data from studies on RFID effectiveness conducted with help from a group of 24 consumer goods companies and technology vendors. The studies are being led by Bill Hardgrave, executive director of the Information Technology Research Center at the Sam M. Walton College of Business, University of Arkansas. The research is expected to substantiate claims that RFID is "substantially" reducing the number of out-of-stock goods in Wal-Mart's RFID-enabled stores.

CASPIAN's stated goal in gathering protesters at Wal-Mart's Wheatland Road store in Dallas is to raise awareness about RFID. Instructions on CASPIAN's Web site suggest those who come to protest bring signs that are legible from a distance. "Use bold, black letters that contrast with the background. Your message should be clear, concise, and easily understood at a glance. No profanity, please," the notice reads.

Zen Curmudgeon

10-15-2005, 04:57 PM

Using RFID tags to improve food safety
By: Rosie Lombardi
ITWorld Canada (13 Oct 2005)

Recent food security scares have triggered public outcries and intense concern. People want to know exactly what is in their food, and what is done to it by whom.

In response, Canada and many other countries are introducing traceability requirements – records that track all links in the food supply chain, from farmers to processors to retailers to consumers.

In the coming years, entire industries will be affected, and many are looking to RFID to automate tracking.

Regulation emerging in different regions reflects their specific concerns. In the U.S., fear of bioterrorism is high. The 2002 Bioterrorism Act resulted in the introduction of record-keeping rules this year to protect the food supply chain by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Take Care -
ZC

Zen Curmudgeon

10-15-2005, 10:26 PM

http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/10/13/japan.animals.microchips.reut/index.html

Microchips for 'dangerous' animals

Thursday, October 13, 2005; Posted: 12:09 p.m. EDT (16:09 GMT)

TOKYO, Japan (Reuters) -- Japan is moving towards requiring owners of potentially dangerous animals, such as crocodiles and pythons, to have microchips implanted in their pets in case the animals get loose, officials said on Thursday.

The move follows a recent wave of incidents around the nation in which animals such as pythons, crocodiles and giant salamanders have been found wandering loose, frequently on the streets of densely populated cities.

...Among the animals included in the proposed law, which is likely to come into effect from next January, are various snakes, snapping turtles and bears.

Take Care -

ZC

Zen Curmudgeon

10-16-2005, 10:28 AM

>>snip<<Consumers Against Supermarket Privacy Invasion and Numbering, a consumer privacy advocacy group, is calling for consumers to march on a Dallas Wal-Mart store on Saturday to protest its use of radio frequency identification technology. With protest signs in hand, privacy activist Katherine Albrecht, CASPIAN founder, will attend the march, along with Liz McIntyre, co-author of the newly published book "Spychips.">>snip<<So, how'd it go?

Take Care -

ZC

Zen Curmudgeon

10-16-2005, 12:23 PM

http://www.rfidjournal.com/article/articleview/1891/1/1/

Can Zero-Knowledge Tags Protect Privacy?

A Danish startup is developing an RFID system that uses a zero-knowledge authentication protocol to protect consumer privacy, while allowing an item's tag to remain alive.

By Farhat Khan

Sept. 27, 2005—A number of techniques have been suggested to protect consumers from unwanted scanning of RFID tags attached to items they may be carrying or wearing.

...A Danish startup named RFIDSec , however, is developing Zeroleak, a new approach to tag security. Zeroleak aims to protect consumers’ privacy while allowing a tag to function after the item is purchased. Zeroleak tags will use a zero-knowledge authentication protocol, which can verify that an RFID reader has the proper authority to read it but does not require the tag to reveal any identifying information during the authentication process.

Take Care -

ZC

Zombiewire

10-18-2005, 06:29 AM

Dead Horse? The horses are at the gate!

These is a reason why this subject has received
15,419 views on this forum alone and let me tell you they are not all from Colorado.

Once people find out what RFID is and how it can be tracked once they leave the store with a certain product with that item is attached to their credit card. They will flip out!

The R.O.I. on RFID will ten fold in four more years so if this being this a fact then how can this topic be dead? This is only the prelude to a the opening of a can of worms. RFID technology today is far more advanced then 50 years ago. Millions of dollars are being poured into the system today. The style of using the technology is compared to the the light bulb. I really do not get your point. I guess you are not getting the real problem with RFID and how it will impact our lives as we know it.

RFID! Get Informed www.zombiewire.com
www.rfidetail.com

While there's two sides to this particular technology . . Those against it who fear the writings of George Orwell are coming to pass . . Be careful of what you wish for . .

You're gonna create another "thereoughtabealaw!" which will cause our elected 535 Idiots to react . . .

But, from what I've read since being made aware of the technology by your comments on this site, I think they're here . . . The Government, especially the DOD, has made a very large investment in the technology and if they have it already . . . try making laws against it! It's already in use on all of our toll roads, the DOT uses it for a myriad of things, the State DOTs use it . . The Dept of Agriculture is starting to advocate it's use in the livestock area, . . . I think it's a Dead Horse . . . No use flogging it anymore.

No pun intended!

Zombiewire

10-18-2005, 07:49 AM

But hey the Broncos are kicking some BLEEEEEEP!!! And right now that whats its all about! Go Broncos. Can you feel me!!

Dead Horse? The horses are at the gate!

These is a reason why this subject has received
15,419 views on this forum alone and let me tell you they are not all from Colorado.

Once people find out what RFID is and how it can be tracked once they leave the store with a certain product with that item is attached to their credit card. They will flip out!

The R.O.I. on RFID will ten fold in four more years so if this being a fact then how can this topic be dead? This is only the prelude to a opening of a can of worms. RFID technology today is far more advanced then 50 years ago. Millions of dollars are being poured into the system today. The style of using the technology is compared to the the light bulb. I really do not get your point. I guess you are not getting the real problem with RFID and how it will impact our lives as we know it.

RFID! Get Informed www.zombiewire.com
www.rfidetail.com

Zen Curmudgeon

10-18-2005, 09:33 PM

http://www.redherring.com/Article.aspx?a=14041&hed=Printers+Sport+Hidden+Codes

Printers Sport Hidden Codes

October 18, 2005

The Electronic Frontier Foundation, a consumer privacy and digital rights organization, alleged Tuesday that there are codes embedded in printouts made by some color laser printers that can be used to track the origin of a printed document.

The codes are ostensibly a part of anti-counterfeiting measures developed by government agencies to curb the creation of fake currency but could have serious implications for consumer privacy, according to privacy advocates.

A research team led by the EFF said that it has broken the code behind tiny tracking dots that some color laser printers secretly hide in every document.

“We’ve found that the dots from at least one line of printers encode the date and time your document was printed, as well as the serial number of the printer,” said Seth David Schoen, staff technologist at EFF.

According to Mr. Schoen, the dots are yellow, less than one millimeter in diameter, and are typically repeated over each page of a document. The pattern is visible under blue light with the help of a magnifying glass or a microscope, the foundation said.

EFF and its partners began their project to break the printer code with the Xerox DocuColor line. Researchers compared dots from test pages, noting similarities and differences in their arrangement, and then found a simple way to read the pattern, the foundation said.

“So far, we’ve only broken the code for Xerox DocuColor printers,” said Mr. Schoen. “But we believe that other models from other manufacturers include the same personally identifiable information in their tracking dots.”

Damn...when your own de-RFID'd printer turns on you, it's probably time to revert to pencil & paper.

Unless someone has tagged pencil & paper in the supply chain. Hmm...okay, then we'll go back to a burnt stick and a shovel. It worked for Lincoln, didn't it? :)

Take Care -

ZC

Zombiewire

10-19-2005, 06:09 AM

Sheeple are people that follow blindly and never question their leaders. Their simple Motto is:

"Follow the "Donkey" in front of you"

Zen Curmudgeon

10-19-2005, 05:47 PM

Study results due this week are expected to show that RFID helps reduce out-of-stock problems at Wal-Mart stores.
The results are in.

http://www.internetnews.com/infra/article.php/3557356

University researchers spent 29 weeks analyzing out-of-stock merchandise at 12 pilot stores equipped with RFID technology and 12 control stores without the technology.

"Our analysis consistently found -- throughout the test period -- that the RFID-enabled pilot stores statistically outperformed the control stores without RFID technology in terms of providing improved on-shelf availability of items for customers[emphasis added]," said Bill Hardgrave, director of the RFID Research Center at the University of Arkansas and executive director of the Information Technology Research Institute, in a statement.

...While the study was good news for Wal-Mart, it's a bummer for Consumers Against Supermarket Privacy Invasion and Numbering (CASPIAN) and other consumer privacy organizations. On October 15, some 75 people demonstrated outside a Dallas Wal-Mart Superstore to raise consumer awareness of what they call "spy chips."

The protest wasn't about Wal-Mart's use of RFID to track shipments, said Katherine Albrecht, founder and director of CASPIAN, but about its use on individual products, a practice known as item-level tagging.

"Our concern is that this will open the floodgates to item level tagging across the board," she told internetnews.com.

In the interests of full disclosure, we should note that part of Ms. Albrecht's concern stems from her belief that RFID technology is a plot by Satan to enslave the human race. She's currently selling two videos with this message at the christian fundamentalist retail site endtimes.com.

Take Care -

ZC

large

10-20-2005, 08:33 AM

Whyizzit all these groups always target Wal Mart? "Cause they're the Biggest? Or because they're really a "Hate" group and Wal mart is their real target?

Lowe's . . Home Depot . . Petco . . Safeway . . just to name a few, use the same technologies, for pretty much the same reasons . . inventory control and sales information . . what moves and what don't . . . It's a damned shame a company can be successful and become a hate target for a minority of whiners who, if for no other concievable reason, are jealous of their sucess, I guess. The Haters whine about "Human Resources Violations" . . but when the numbers are put up, they're just about par with any other large corporation in the world . . . their profits are a little better than some, a little worse than others, but in the end, those profits didn't come from gross mistreatment of their employees on the whole . . . Nowhere near the treatment of the Enron Employees . . or some others . . . .

That being said, Katherine Albrect is definitely an "Intelligent Design Advocate" and she probably falls into the definition of hyppocrite . . She uses modern technology to advance her theory that modern technology is wrong . . . an instrument of the devil, so to speak . . . while RFID does no more than show somebody where something is, the internet shows us much more . . You pick it, th' net's got it! 'Spose the Devil had anything to do with the Internet?

Heh, heh . . . .

Zen Curmudgeon

10-20-2005, 06:04 PM

'Spose the Devil had anything to do with the Internet? Heh, heh . . . .No, I have it on good authority that Bill Gates was not on the original team. :)

Take Care -

ZC

Zen Curmudgeon

10-21-2005, 06:20 AM

http://www.conspiracyplanet.com/channel.cfm?channelid=74&contentid=2888

RFID ' Spychip' Tags at Wal-Mart Threaten Privacy
by SPYCHIPS.COM

More than 70 Texans converged on a Dallas Wal-Mart Supercenter this past Saturday to protest the store's RFID tagging of consumer products.

Armed with anti-RFID signs and singing "We don't like the looks of spychips sittin' in this Wal-Mart store," the group worked the sidewalk adjacent to the store's parking lot, handing out literature to passersby and waving to drivers who honked in support of their stand.

The protest, organized by the consumer privacy group CASPIAN, was sparked by Wal-Mart's use of RFID tags on Hewlett-Packard printer/scanners being sold in its stores.

Placing RFID tags on individual consumer items, a practice known as "item-level tagging," has been widely condemned by privacy experts since 2003.

Wal-Mart's use of RFID on these items disregards the recommendation of over 40 of the world's leading privacy and civil liberties organizations who have called on retailers to voluntarily abstain from the practice.

"Wal-Mart's item-level RFID tagging initiative is dangerous and irresponsible.

Interesting, isn't it, that most of the publicity about CASPIAN is generated by CASPIAN. Wonder if it has anything to do with selling books and videos.

Conspiracy Always Spells Potential Income And Notoriety.

Take Care -

ZC

Zen Curmudgeon

10-21-2005, 03:50 PM

http://www.physorg.com/news7466.html

Wireless World: Libraries embrace wireless
Technology |

October 21, 2005

A library patron ambles out the door, book in hand, without stopping by the librarian. Is this theft? No, it's the new checkout procedure, made possible by Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology, experts tell United Press International's Wireless World.

"Currently, approximately 120 million media and books in about 500 libraries worldwide are already attached with RFID labels," Birgit Lindl, a spokeswoman for Bibliotheca RFID Library Systems AG, based in Munich, Germany, told Wireless World. "This is a remarkable number which is continually increasing."

The RFID labels enable the customers to pass by card readers that automatically update the computer system, indicating that the book has been checked out. The ID information on the patron's library card is synchronized with the book, enabling accurate recordkeeping.

Take Care -

ZC

Zombiewire

10-22-2005, 10:13 AM

Let me tell you Katherine Albrecht needs to make a living. She has spent her own money for years fighting against the SpyChip issues. So now she has written a book on the facts. She will invest her money from the book to fight even harder against RFID intrusion. Stop being so cynical and read the book. It cost less then $10......... Get the book and we can talk. I have read the book and so should you.
Who ever wants a book let me know and Ill get you one if you can not afford it. It is more important to get these facts out now.
If you want to buy the book go to ZombieWire there is a link up.

Imagine a world of no more privacy, where hidden radio frequency
scanners will be constantly pointed at you, wirelessly reading
microchips embedded in your clothing, shoes, bank cards and even
your own flesh.

It’s the ultimate in "Big Brother," and according to the
explosive new book, "SPYCHIPS: How Major Corporations and
Government Plan to Track your Every Move with RFID" (Nelson
Current, October 2005), companies including Wal-Mart, Target,
Gillette, Proctor & Gamble, Kraft, IBM, and even the U.S.
government have all invested in making this a reality within the
next decade.

Welcome to the world of Radio Frequency IDentification (RFID),
where tiny computer chips smaller than a grain of sand will
track everyday objects—and even people—keeping tabs on
everything you own and everywhere you go.

While it sounds far-fetched and futuristic, it’s already here
and documented in SPYCHIPS, written by Katherine Albrecht and
Liz McIntyre. These two irrepressible privacy advocates have
uncovered extraordinarily detailed plans to use this new
technology to watch us all.

Zombiewire

10-25-2005, 10:56 PM

By LESLIE MILLER
Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The State Department said Tuesday that it's adding two security features to the new electronic passports that it will start issuing in December.

The announcement partially assuaged privacy advocates who feared the technology wouldn't protect travelers from identity theft or from people who aim to harm Americans traveling abroad.

"Is it a step forward? Yes. Is it foolproof? That remains to be proven," said Barry Steinhardt, a lawyer with the American Civil Liberties Union.

As a result of tougher post-Sept. 11 security requirements, all new U.S. passports issued by the end of this year are supposed to have a microchip containing the holders' name, nationality, sex, birth date, place of birth, issuing office and a biometric identifier - a digital photograph.

A tiny antenna embedded in the passport cover will allow remote reading devices to capture the data on the chip. Privacy advocates said anyone with a portable reader could remotely read, or "skim," a passport holder's personal information.

The State Department said its original proposal in February generated 2,335 comments that were overwhelmingly opposed to the technology because of concerns that terrorists could identify and target them as U.S. citizens.

So the new passports' front covers and spines will include an anti-skimming material that blocks the radio waves that could pick up the data.

They also will use Basic Access Control technology, which utilizes a kind of personal identification number that must be touched physically to unlock the data on the chip.

"It will not permit `tracking' of individuals," the State Department said in making the announcement. "It will only permit governmental authorities to know that an individual has arrived at a port of entry, which governmental authorities already know from presentation of nonelectronic passports."

The international standards for "electronic" passports were set by the U.N.-affiliated International Civil Aviation Organization, which has worked on standards for machine-readable passports since 1968. The State Department said Basic Access Control will soon be added to the ICAO standards.

Bill Scannell, a privacy advocate who founded a Web site that generated comments opposing the new passports, said Basic Access Control is an unproven technology that shouldn't be used in an identity document.

"We don't know what can and cannot be done with this technology," Scannell said.

Other countries are also switching to microchipped, biometric passports at the request of the United States. The Patriot Act says visitors from 27 countries whose citizens don't now need visas to visit the United States would have to get electronic passports by next October.

The State Department will test the electronic passports in December with government employees who use official or diplomatic passports for government travel. The U.S. traveling public is expected to start receiving new or replacement electronic passports in early 2006.

---

On the Net:

State Department: http://www.state.gov

American Civil Liberties Union: http://www.aclu.org
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/ELECTRONIC_PASSPORTS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

Zombiewire

10-26-2005, 09:19 PM

WASHINGTON -- By October 2006, the U.S. government will require nearly all of the passports it issues to include a computer chip containing the passport holder's personal information, according to regulations published this week.

Starting in early 2006, the U.S. Department of State will begin issuing passports with 64-kilobyte RFID (radio frequency identification) chips that will contain the name, nationality, gender, date of birth, and place of birth of the passport holder, as well as a digitized photograph of that person.

The chip's contents will match the data on the paper portion of the passport, improving passport security by making it more difficult for criminals to tamper with passports, backers say. U.S. government efforts to make passports harder to forge began in response to the terrorist attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001.

Opposition
After the State Department proposed last February to include RFID chips in passports, privacy groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union and the Electronic Frontier Foundation expressed concern. Because some RFID chips can be scanned remotely, criminals may be able to covertly scan groups of passport holders at airports, the EFF said in April. RFID passports could thus act as "terrorist beacons," as well as indiscriminately exposing U.S. residents' personal information to strangers.

In a letter commenting on the State Department proposal, the EFF argued that the agency lacked congressional authority to require RFID chips in passports.

"RFID in passports is a terrible idea, period," said EFF senior attorney Lee Tien, in a posting to the EFF's Web site. "But on top of that, the State Department is acting without the appropriate authority and without conducting any form of credible cost-benefit analysis. It's asking Americans to sacrifice their safety and privacy 'up front' for a dangerous experiment that it hasn't even bothered to justify."

The State Department received 2335 public comments on its February proposal to introduce electronic passports. More than 98 percent of the comments were negative, the State Department said, and most of them raised issues about security and privacy.

Security Precautions
In the passport rules it released Tuesday, the State Department said that it was taking several security precautions. The RFID chips will use encrypted digital signatures to prevent tampering; and they will be so-called passive RFID chips, which do not broadcast personal information unless within inches of an RFID reader machine. To protect against data leaks, the e-passports will come with an "antiskimming" material that blocks radio waves on the passport's back and spine, the State Department notice said.

The new passports would comply with an International Civil Aviation Organization specification on e-passports, the State Department said.

Though the State Department moved away from its earlier proposal of a self-powered RFID chip in favor of a passive one that relies on a reader machine's power, privacy concerns remain, said Barry Steinhardt, director of the ACLU's Technology and Liberty Program. Steinhardt called the State Department's security measures a "step forward," but he said bar codes could be used to match electronic data with paper data on passports.

"It still raises the question [of] whether or not this is an appropriate technology," Steinhardt said. "There are still some essential concerns about whether this is secure or not."

But Neville Pattinson, director of technology and Government affairs for Texas RFID card vendor Axalto, praised the State Department's changes, including the passive chips and antiskimming materials. "This is a fine example of the government listening to public opinion and adopting technology that protects citizen's privacy," he said. "With the changes, information cannot be extracted from it."
http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,123246,00.asp

Zombiewire

11-07-2005, 12:55 PM

This week I kick off a brief 2-part series about privacy issues in RFID.
Never fear -- we will remain focused on the application of RFID in the business setting. I have no intentions of turning this into a privacy-oriented website.

Still, privacy issues are part of the RFID landscape. Businesses have to be aware of how privacy advocates think and what their concerns are. In that context I think it is important to bring forward a full range of voices on the topic, for a balanced treatment.

In our first article, we do a rundown of the reviews of the new book, Spychips. Much has been written from all sides on this new book. We will bring you a list of the major reviews and summarize how the book has been received.

In our second article, on Tuesday, we have an interview with James Mata, a privacy advocate who is well known around Web circles for his work with RFIDetail and ZombieWire.com.

Then on Wednesday we will be back to our regular fare.

http://www.rfid-weblog.com/

Zombiewire

11-09-2005, 06:03 AM

November 9, 2005

BY HOWARD WOLINSKY RED STREAK

You may not know it, but radio frequency identification -- technology using tiny chips with antennas -- has changed your life.

When you open your car door or pay a toll via I-P**** you're using RFID. Your ExxonMobil Speedpass uses RFID to pay for gas and McDonald's burgers. And if major retailers like Wal-Mart and Target, consumer goods companies including Procter & Gamble and Sara Lee, and tech firms such as Accenture and IBM are correct, the best is yet to come.

RFID will help retailers manage supply chains so consumers can keep getting low prices. Tagging products with tiny antennas will help retailers ensure the products you want are on the shelf. And advocates envision RFID being used at home to help you track your meds, manage your pantry and refrigerator, instruct your microwave how to prepare entrees, and even tell your washer and dryer how to handle your shirts.

But authors Katherine Albrecht and Liz McIntyre of CASPIAN, a privacy advocacy group, all the devices spychips. And their provocative new book, Spychips: How major corporations and government plan to track your every move with RFID (Nelson Current, $16.49), tells a chilling story of a future in which spychips run amok -- Big Brother and Big Shopkeeper, along with sophisticated thieves, invade privacy in unprecedented ways.

For instance, consider Accenture's proposed "Real-World Showroom" in which users could activate a Web-enabled PDA when they spot an article of clothing on a passerby that they would like to own. The radio signal emitted by the clothing would provide info on the product, which could then be purchased online.

In the hands of sophisticated thieves, the authors warn, the same technology could electronically frisk and target marks. And if plans proceed to chip currency, people carrying large amounts of cash could be sitting ducks. Burglars someday, they fear, could case a home by picking up signals sent out by expensive TVs.

The authors also worry the government will use the technology to check out and track law-abiding citizens attending political rallies or protests from tags in clothing and shoes.

Albrecht and McIntyre depict themselves as suburban housewives and moms. But they have a knack for finding info that otherwise would be kept from the public, and developing sources that make them the envy of investigative reporters.

They uncovered a treasure trove of "confidential" memos from the Auto-ID Center, the industry-backed think tank that developed and promoted RFID, by simply typing the word "confidential" into the center's Web site.

They learned that center surveys found the public wary of the technology, with 78 percent having privacy concerns. The public informed researchers it would "feel naked" if people knew what they're wearing and if they could be tracked by antennas embedded in clothing.

Meanwhile, RFID rolls on. Research has shown Wal-Mart customers benefit from the technology by finding the products they want. And the government is moving ahead with plans to put RFID chips in passports, recently adding some protections to its designs.

Albrecht and McIntyre write: "We're puzzled as to why our government would want to enable kidnappers, thieves and terrorists to identify us as targets. . ." They warn of databases being made with travelers' names and there's also the possibility of using RIFID to trigger bombs.

Albrecht and McIntyre favor laws that would require consumers to be informed that RFID chips are in products so they can decide whether to buy them. "If consumers don't want spychips -- and act on that preference in the market -- companies will stop using RFID, plain and simple," they wrote.

http://www.chicagoredstreak.com/money/mid-news-midrfid09.html

Pueblocontractor

11-09-2005, 06:43 AM

One of the friendliest voices among the websites that follow RFID privacy issues is that of James Mata, who runs RFIDetail.com and ZombieWire.com. James and I had the chance earlier this year to correspond via email and speak briefly by phone. I asked him a series of questions about RFID and his concerns over privacy. What follows is that exchange -- presented (I hope) in a balanced way.

Question: James, where are you located?

Answer: San Diego California, USA

Question: How did you come to start ZombieWire?

Answer: I was researching for up and coming new technology

with bottom basement investment options, and I found a penny stock in DOC and ADSX, which are respectively, Digital Angel Corporation and Verichip. So I studied these products to see if they could actually bring me a return on investment (ROI).

One thing led to another and I started reading what others were saying about the Verichip. I came across the No cards/spy chips site of Kathrine Albrecht (www.spychips.com).

I read just about everything on her site and was completely blown away with news she had. So I followed up further on her lead.

I realized that only a handful of people even knew of the RFID chip and what plans are set for it. And how the "players" -- manufacturers such as Texas Instruments, Wal-Mart and others -- wanted to build an infrastructure first then bring the news to the people.

In my opinion they figured that once the snowball gets going, there is nothing for the consumer to do to stop or put the brakes on the RFID mandate. I took it upon myself to form a website and focus on exposing the manufacturers' news and bring it to a consumer level.

Question: When did you start the site?

Answer: ZombieWire when live November 2004

Question: How did you come up with name ZombieWire?

Answer: The RFID is a chip that can not die -- hence the word "Zombie" and the word "wire" for news wire.

Question: Who is the typical reader of ZombieWire?

here is the rest of the story http://www.rfid-weblog.com/50226711/interview_with_an_rfid_privacy_advocate.php

DMad

11-09-2005, 09:51 AM

Yes, James is a regular contributor on this forum and very knowledgeable about RFID technology and its uses and possible mis-uses.

large

11-09-2005, 02:06 PM

James, you're interviewing yourself!

Heh, heh . . . .

Zombiewire

11-10-2005, 05:43 AM

James, you're interviewing yourself!

Heh, heh . . . .

Click on the link and let me have my second of fame.
http://www.rfid-weblog.com/50226711/interview_with_an_rfid_privacy_advocate.php#Voting

" The new phone books are here, The new phone books are here" Steve Martin

large

11-10-2005, 06:46 AM

Okay, you got it . .

Zen Curmudgeon

11-14-2005, 05:59 PM

http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/11-14-2005/0004215078&EDATE=

New RFID Solution Enables Pharmaceutical Companies to Track and Verify Drug
Packages and Helps Prevent Diverting and Counterfeiting of Products

ARLINGTON, Va., RFID Healthcare Industry Adoption Summit, Booth 413;
Nov. 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Sun Microsystems, Inc. (Nasdaq: SUNW), today
announced the availability of the Sun RFID Industry Solution for Drug
Authentication, a combination of software, hardware and services to addresses
the specific requirements of the pharmaceutical industry. The Sun RFID
Industry Solution for Drug Authentication helps to combat drug counterfeiting
by verifying and certifying the authenticity of drugs using Electronic Product
Codes (EPC) or electronic pedigrees across the supply chain.
Available now, a demo of the Sun RFID Industry Solution for Drug
Authentication can be viewed on-site at the RFID Healthcare Industry Adoption
Summit, Booth 413.
Drug counterfeiting and diverting (fraudulently obtaining prescription
drugs and reselling them) introduce inefficiencies into the supply chain,
dilute company brand names, represent enormous costs to pharmaceutical
manufacturers and most of all, expose consumers to health risks via
counterfeit dispensing. Unlike packaged goods, pharmaceutical drugs have high
market values, unique storage requirements and small unit sizes that make it
necessary to track individual bottles or even individual doses. Pharmaceutical
companies can use the Sun RFID Drug Authentication Solution to verify a drug
package's validity and authenticity as it moves through the supply chain, from
the manufacturer to the hands of the consumer at the point-of-sale.
"Introducing the Sun RFID Industry Solution for Drug Authentication
demonstrates Sun's continued commitment to delivering RFID solutions that
address the specific requirements of vertical industries. For the
pharmaceutical industry, using bar codes to secure the drug supply chain is
impractical and inefficient because bar codes have limitations around item
level identification and require manual intervention," said Vivek Khandelwal,
principal RFID solutions manager for Sun's RFID Business Unit. "Sun is
leveraging our RFID-technology expertise, along with that of third-party
companies, to bring drug manufacturers and distributors a solution that helps
distinguish legitimate products from counterfeit and helps our customers
prevent loss in revenue and maintain drug integrity."
The Sun RFID Industry Solution for Drug Authentication uses a scalable
architecture that helps companies to start with EPC-based drug authentication
for initial pilots and then evolve to more complex, pedigree-based drug
authentication solutions. The EPC Authentication verifies point-of-sale EPC
information, stored in an RFID tag, against a repository of valid codes. The
Pedigree Authentication is more secure and complex and requires verification
and authentication of each drug item at every step of the drug supply chain.
In addition to helping the pharmaceutical industry curb drug
counterfeiting and diverting, Sun's RFID solutions can help healthcare
providers reduce medical errors through the tracking of patients, critical
medical information and records. Sun's RFID solutions can extend beyond
medication tracking to help hospitals monitor instruments and disposables
using RFID tagging, automated counting and alarms. Further, RFID tagging can
assist hospitals with locating, taking inventory of and re-ordering high value
assets in a timely manner, reducing staff search time and improving the
timeliness of patient care.
The Sun RFID Industry Solution for Drug Authentication provides detailed
guidelines to help pharmaceutical companies build an end-to-end RFID solution
to automate a secure drug supply chain. It is a unique combination of Sun
technologies and product components including: Solaris(TM) 10 Operating
System, Sun Java(TM) Enterprise System and Sun Java System RFID Software. Sun
Java System Identity Management Suite provides identity management and access
controls, which help companies control access to shared or distributed data
repositories containing EPC or pedigree data. The Sun Java Integration Suite
provides an SOA-based platform to provide real-time access to RFID events, as
well as a development environment from which to build and deploy composite
applications that maximize the vast amount of information available from RFID
readers.
The Sun RFID Industry Solution for Drug Authentication is also packaged
with third-party components, such as E-Pedigree applications from Raining Data
and SupplyScape, which provide a complete drug security solution along with
the capabilities to create, manage and certify pedigree data across the supply
chain. This solution also integrates with Raining Data's Distributed Xquery
and TigerLogic XML Data Management solution and VeriSign's Intelligent Supply
Chain Services platform, which includes the Object Naming Services (ONS). The
Sun RFID Industry Solution for Drug Authentication has been tested and
qualified for compatibility with TAGSYS' item-level RFID tag and reader
technology and is also capable of working with many other
third-party RFID readers and RFID printers.
"We are pleased to jointly demonstrate the power and flexibility of the
Sun RFID Industry Solution for Drug Authentication with Raining Data's
Distributed XQuery and Tigerlogic XML Data Management solutions," said Ajay
Ramachandran, vice president, general manager -- Enterprise Applications Group
at Raining Data. "Raining Data's comprehensive ePharma solution framework
helps customers not only addresses state specific pedigree compliance
requirements, but also other issues such as: returns, recall, diversion and
anti-counterfeiting. Our ePharma solution enables enterprises to leverage
their RFID investments and delivers a low Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)."
"SupplyScape and Sun have collaborated since 2003 on pharma supply chain
security solutions to combat drug counterfeiting," said Brenda Kelly, vice
president of marketing at SupplyScape. "Being selected for inclusion in Sun's
drug authentication initiatives enables us to provide a more complete solution
for the pharma industry."
"Drug counterfeiting directly impacts consumer safety and is estimated to
cost the industry over $35 billion a year," said Elie Simon, CEO of TAGSYS.
"While the pharmaceutical sector is proving to be an early adopter of RFID
technology, the requirements for reliable, accurate and secure (or R.A.S.)
RFID products are also extremely high. As a result of our tests, Sun's
customers can be certain that the RFID solution will work seamlessly with the
industry's most robust item-level tags and readers that deliver six sigma
level reading performance."

Zen Curmudgeon

11-16-2005, 08:03 PM

http://informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=174300574

RFID-Enabled Phone Geared To Jails Nov. 16, 2005

AGM Telecom plans to offer correctional facilities an RFID application for pre-paid or direct-bill telephone service geared toward inmates, to automatically identify and bill the caller.

By Laurie Sullivan
TechWeb News

AGM Telecom plans to offer correctional facilities a radio frequency identification technology application for pre-paid or direct bill telephone service geared toward inmates in Idaho, Oklahoma and Texas, the carrier said Wednesday.

...AirGATE Technologies Inc. has been working to integrate an RFID application into AGM phones that would automatically identify and bill the caller when a call is placed from a coin-less AGM phone inside the jail.

...When the inmate makes a telephone call, the correctional facility's private branch exchange (PBX) telephone system would verify the RFID. The service will work with or without a PIN and either collect or debit card calls. It's activated when the RFID chip in the wristband transmits the signal to a reader in the AGM telephone.

Take Care -

ZC

Zen Curmudgeon

11-19-2005, 02:25 PM

From Slashdot.org...

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.

Take Care -

ZC

Zombiewire

11-24-2005, 08:04 AM

by Joseph Shapiro

All Things Considered, November 12, 2005 · In Chattanooga, Tenn., people with mental retardation are being offered a device that could save lives in the case of a medical emergency. It's a microchip that would be implanted under the skin. But there are questions about giving this cutting-edge technology to people who can't make decisions for themselves.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5010736

Zen Curmudgeon

11-25-2005, 03:24 PM

http://www.techweb.com/wire/hardware/174401408;jsessionid=E4OPC03131XEAQSNDBGCKHSCJUMEK JVN

TiVo Files Patent For RFID Personal Video Recorder

By Laurie Sullivan, TechWeb News

TiVo Inc. has filed a patent application to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office earlier this month that suggests company inventors believe radio frequency identification (RFID) technology will become inserted into clothing, jewelry, key chains, and even under the skin in the body.

...The multimedia mobile personalization system would have a remote control that recognizes the viewer's RFID tag closest to the PVR (personal video recorder). The remote control identifies and notifies the multimedia device through the RFID chip in the person's clothing or body to tailor the media content to their preferences.

...Either broadcast or recorded television programs and music play lists stored on a local hard drive could be sorted, displayed or restricted, depending on the user identifier. Other methods of identifying the user are stated, too, such as computer vision recognition, biometric identification, and voice analysis.

Take Care -

ZC

formerpuebloan

11-25-2005, 04:17 PM

I certainly don't care if anyone knows where I buy products. I don't have anything to hide. Certainly, banks and others know all of my personal business. Why be concerned about RFID's.

Well, that would leave about 250,000,000 million people who might care.
Many people are not your age. Probably everyone thinks differently than you.
It's not about having anything to hide, but about the chip that is here to track us.
Obviously there is a reason for the RFID or they would not be spending the money to get it done.
I for one do not appreciate anyone sticking their nose in my business, so remember not everyone thinks like you.
Chill.

Zen Curmudgeon

11-25-2005, 10:13 PM

>>snip<<It's not about having anything to hide, but about the chip that is here to track us.RFID, so far as I'm aware, tracks pets and merchandise. Some folks have volunteered for chip implants (see my earlier post about Tommy Thompson). There are many other, far more efficient methods used to "track us". For instance, check out the USA PATRIOT Act, or take a day to try counting the video surveillance cameras pointed at you.
Obviously there is a reason for the RFID or they would not be spending the money to get it done.Sure, it's called inventory control. If Wal-Mart can get 10% improvement in supply chain efficiency they stand to gain billions of dollars in revenue. That could be a motive, don't you think?
I for one do not appreciate anyone sticking their nose in my business, so remember not everyone thinks like you.Chill.If you conduct business in public you have no expectation of privacy. That is the nature of "public", isn't it? The only way I know of to gain the sort of privacy your remarks seem to imply is to drop completely off the grid and below the radar. In that case, you are no longer reading these words, because you've forsworn technology, too. So if you have truly thought this through and acted on your convictions, I'll not expect to see your reply.

Take Care -

ZC

Zen Curmudgeon

11-25-2005, 10:50 PM

But there are questions about giving this cutting-edge technology to people who can't make decisions for themselves.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5010736The story's "ethical concerns" are voiced by a college faculty member who clearly doesn't understand the limited content housed in a Verichip, which is a 16 digit number used by properly equipped, voluntarily-participating hospitals to access the proper medical record in a database. This academician further compares the Verichip to secretive experiments in the 1940s, performed without the knowledge or consent of the subjects. There are no concerns in the story expressed by anyone acquainted with the technology and charged with the responsibility for the care and welfare of an aphasic person. In short, informed consent is not only available but required before any chip can be implanted. So other than an outsider whose opinion was apparently solicited for this radio report, where's the ethical concern?

Speaking of ethical concerns, I did note the story mentions the approval of the Verichip by the FDA about a year ago. The spychip.com website, operated by St. Katherine of the RFID, refers to that approval letter but only mentions the FDA's list of potential problems with implanted devices, while conveniently omitting the rest of the approval letter text. That, it seems to me, raises some questions about the integrity of that particular anti-RFID effort. But, then again, Ms. Albrecht's college degree is in "international marketing", which in her case seems to be the same as "self-promotion".

Take Care -

ZC

large

11-26-2005, 08:06 AM

Again, I will insist . . Much adoo about nothing . . . or "How to sell a book to the Chicken Littles" . . .

formerpuebloan

11-29-2005, 05:57 AM

Again, I will insist . . Much adoo about nothing . . . or "How to sell a book to the Chicken Littles" . . .

Ever hear of the Holocaust? The Jewish people were taken under the control of madmen. It doesn't seem possible that a few Germans killed 6,000,000 Jews and others, but they did. Their RFID was creating a "master race"
It is real easy to speak of Chicken Littles in America, who never think their personal sky could fall but I, for one see the RFID as a slowly emerging takeover by the evil beast prophesied in the Bible.

666 is alive and well, especially in America.

large

11-29-2005, 09:54 AM

James, this ain't exactly Armeggadon happening because of an RFID . . at least not unless maybe Iran gets one put somewhere in the U.S. and then builds a nuke with a "Homing Device" . .

The Muslim Caliphate and the Immigration problems in this country certainly outweigh any concern most Americans have for privacy invasion by RFID tecnology.

I may even get one of those Pet Watch thingies injected because I can't remember S*** anymore and I may need one to find my way home one of these days!

DMad

11-29-2005, 11:31 AM

I may even get one of those Pet Watch thingies injected because I can't remember S*** anymore and I may need one to find my way home one of these days!

Sounds like it could be the perfect solution for those nights of binge drinking!

Look, I can understand the concern of privacy advocates with regards to RFID technology and the POSSIBlE misuses. But come on, if people are really interested in protecting personal privacy, there are far too many other threats greater than RFID to consider.

Just a few that popped to mind...

1. Can you imagine the mass of information about a persons life and habits any bank, or individual employee of a bank, could amass about any given acountholder? Where you shop, what you buy, how much money you make, how many prescriptions you take (and possibly which ones), which doctors do you see, what organizations do you belong to, the list could go on and on. Every time you swipe that neat little debit card at your local Crap-Mart, you are providing one more puzzle piece to your life history.

2. And this one was mentioned before (thanks, Zen), but next time you're sitting at a red light in this city, take note of the number of cameras up on the street light poles. Next time you pull into the parking lot of the mall, or a department store, look on top of the buildings and around you. When we are in public, we are being tracked by camera most of the time. They're inside the stores, outside the stores, in bars and restaurants, cameras catch you when you drive, so on and so forth. You can't escape them. Still concerned about your privacy? Don't smoke that joint in the parking lot, my friend...

3. How secure is your mailbox? Credit card statements, mortgage statements, bank statements, medical insurance claim information, money, state drivers licenses, all come through your little "all by itself out in the open" mailbox. And most of the time that stuff sits in there unattended and unguarded for minutes, hours, possibly days on end.

Here's my point. There are possible privacy concerns all around us all the time. You can't live life in this country without putting your privacy at risk in some form or fashion. RFID to me is simply the next step in technology, and from the things I have read about the possibilities I think there are going to be some tremendously good things to come from it. And, yes, we do need to have a level of concern about protecting the privacy of the public from those who would take this technology or any other personal information and misuse it. But the mark of the beast? Armegeddon? Probably not...

Zen Curmudgeon

11-29-2005, 07:08 PM

Ever hear of the Holocaust? The Jewish people were taken under the control of madmen. It doesn't seem possible that a few Germans killed 6,000,000 Jews and others, but they did. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godwin's_law

Godwin's Law (also Godwin's Rule of Nazi analogies) is an adage in Internet culture that was originated by Mike Godwin in 1990. The law states that:

As an online discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler approaches 1.

Although the law does not specifically mention it, there is a tradition in many Usenet newsgroups that once such a comparison is made, the thread is over, and whoever mentioned the Nazis has automatically lost whatever argument was in progress.

Take Care & Sayonara -

ZC

Zombiewire

11-29-2005, 08:02 PM

RFID, so far as I'm aware, tracks pets and merchandise. Some folks have volunteered for chip implants (see my earlier post about Tommy Thompson). There are many other, far more efficient methods used to "track us". For instance, check out the USA PATRIOT Act, or take a day to try counting the video surveillance cameras pointed at you.
Sure, ( it's called inventory control. ) If Wal-Mart can get 10% improvement in supply chain efficiency they stand to gain billions of dollars in revenue. That could be a motive, don't you think?If you conduct business in public you have no expectation of privacy. That is the nature of "public", isn't it? The only way I know of to gain the sort of privacy your remarks seem to imply is to drop completely off the grid and below the radar. In that case, you are no longer reading these words, because you've forsworn technology, too. So if you have truly thought this through and acted on your convictions, I'll not expect to see your reply.

Take Care -

ZC

You nailed it! "inventory control"

Once RFID has taken over the bar code your cloths,shoes... every item in your possession will be inventory. At that point there WILL be readers everywhere. If you want facts just look it up. There will be an option in your refrigerator that may inform you that you are out of stock. There will be other house hold appliances that will have the same option. So any guru can park out side your home and inventory and get a count. Also being that many people have Internet WiFi routers (hot spots) there may be an access from the world wide web. You can become a product in the "Internet of things"

All a person has to do to open their eyes and set the puzzle together.

Zombiewire

11-29-2005, 08:28 PM

I have listed this forum on ZombieWire.... Look at the very bottom of the page.

DMad

12-01-2005, 08:08 AM

I have listed this forum on ZombieWire.... Look at the very bottom of the page.

You did? I didn't see it.

Zombiewire

12-01-2005, 05:06 PM

You did? I didn't see it.

Sorry it says RFID Fourm..... On the bottom of the page

Zen Curmudgeon

12-01-2005, 08:09 PM

http://www.wired.com/news/business/0,1367,69640,00.html?tw=rss.CUL

A Tinfoil Hat on Every Head

By Joanna Glasner |
02:00 AM Nov. 30, 2005 PT

When seeking the source of a mysterious malaise, few people would think to blame ions trapped in their mattress coils or cyclotronic resonance from the electrical system.

But if they did, they'd find products already on the market to allay their symptoms.

... Listings include radiation-blocking boxers, radio curtain shields and pendants for removing electromagnetic frequencies.

"radiation blocking boxers"? Well, I guess we know one place the VeriSign chip won't be, umm, implanted. :)

Take Care -

ZC

DMad

12-01-2005, 10:14 PM

Sorry it says RFID Fourm..... On the bottom of the page

Okay, thanks. I guess if you don't make it plainly obvious for me I'm going to miss it.

Zombiewire

12-03-2005, 07:34 AM

In his 2005 book, The Traveler: A Novel, John Twelve Hawks describes a near-future world in which almost everything we do is traceable and almost everywhere we go is trackable. Using high-tech tools such as Echelon (the global spy network that monitors electronic communication), the Global Positioning System, RFID tags, centralized databases, tracking software for credit card charges, and surveillance cameras with facial recognition software, the "Vast Machine" can watch anyone, except those few who elect to live "off the Grid."

It's a paranoid book, but, as they say, being paranoid doesn't mean someone isn't out to get you. In reality, surveillance is growing at an alarming rate, and so, too, are the words and phrases we need to use to keep up.

Did you know, for example, that you cast a data shadow? This is the trackable data that you create by using technologies such as your credit cards, cellphone, and the Internet. This is also sometimes called the paperless trail, the electronic equivalent of a "paper trail." A similar idea is the pseudonymous profile, a collection of data associated, usually, with the IP address of a user's computer. The profile describes the user's online activities, interests, and habits, so a Web site can personalize pages or, more often, target advertising at that IP address.

Some even envision a world of anticipatory surveillance, where the data collected enables the site (or whatever) to anticipate a person's actions or needs. (The opposite is preemptive surveillance, which tracks behavior in order to prevent people from doing something they shouldn't.) This is a low-end variation of a digital silhouette, a profile generated by a software program that monitors a user's surfing habits.

The data for this profile comes from users who agree to install the software in exchange for a cheap computer or cut-rate Internet access. Because the user agrees up front to be monitored, this kind of program is called opt-in surveillance or voluntary surveillance. The opposite would be a data spill, an accidental transmission or display of private online data to a third party. It's the online analogue to an oil spill, the leakage of petroleum from an oil tanker or other vessel. Whatever the source, we are therefore increasingly susceptible to dataveillance, the ability to monitor people's activities by studying their data shadows. A synonym that isn't as popular, but rolls off the tongue a little better, is consumer espionage.

We like to think that all this surveillance is part of some dastardly plot cooked up by those twin pillars of the modern Big Brother: Big Government and Big Business. Unfortunately, surveillance is all too common among us little folk, too. A common example is the nanny cam, a special video camera—small enough to be concealed inside stereo equipment or a teddy bear—used for spying on babysitters. A similar idea is the kiddie cam, a camcorder that displays a live feed so that parents can monitor either their children or their children's babysitter from a remote location. Kiddie cams are also known as kinder cams or cradle cams.

Even creepier are the great lengths some husbands and wives are taking to detect Internet infidelity, an online romance or affair conducted by their spouses. Web sites such as http://www.chatcheaters.com and http://www.infidelitycheck.org offer not just advice on dealing with an Internet cheater but also sophisticated electronic tools. For example, you can purchase a keylogger, a program or device that records a computer's keystrokes. (A subset of the genre is the chat logger or IM logger, a utility specifically designed to record chat conversations held in instant messaging environments, such as AOL, MSN, and Yahoo.)

Think your lesser half is cheating via the home computer while you're at work? No problem. Just install remote monitoring software, which tracks everything that happens on a computer and sends the results to a remote location (such as your work e-mail account).

Are we becoming what sociology professor David Lyon at Queen's University, in Kingston, Ont., Canada, has called the surveillance society? Is there hope for privacy? Larry Ellison might not think so, but an increasing number of people are fighting back by using a technique called sousveillance (or sometimes inverse surveillance). University of Toronto electrical and computer engineering professor Steve Mann calls it "watchful vigilance from underneath." (The "sous" in sousveillance is French for "under"; the "sur" in surveillance is French for "over.")

It's a kind of countersurveillance where people take pictures of surveillance cameras or record people in positions of power or authority and then post those pictures or recordings on the Web. Think of it as the watched watching the watchers, and that can only be a good thing. If you think so, too, be sure to celebrate World Sousveillance Day on 24 December.

ILLUSTRATION: BRIAN STAUFFER
http://www.spectrum.ieee.org/dec05/2335

large

12-03-2005, 05:10 PM

ZW, if you go back and read my posts about contemporary Information systems and data storage systems . . I pretty well covered most of the above in one manner or another.

I have never heard of the book nor the author . . . . And I'm neither a genius or author . . just a well read American.

Or in plain ol' english . . "I told you so!"

Zombiewire

12-04-2005, 07:17 AM

John, I can tell that you are well read. I knew you have been stating these facts since the start. This is why I threw this out there.

ZW, if you go back and read my posts about contemporary Information systems and data storage systems . . I pretty well covered most of the above in one manner or another.

I have never heard of the book nor the author . . . . And I'm neither a genius or author . . just a well read American.

Or in plain ol' english . . "I told you so!"

Zombiewire

12-19-2005, 03:29 PM

Lets see who we can bring in here. We can set Large at large........

Merry Christmas
Happy Holyday

Here is the blog where you can find the link to right back here www.rfidetail.com

large

12-20-2005, 09:39 AM

Merry Christmas, James . . and Have a Happy New Year . .

Zombiewire

12-27-2005, 06:00 PM

Merry Christmas, James . . and Have a Happy New Year . .

Thank you very much for that! It was a nice christmas. I did some yard work and knew that the Broncos won already!!!

Happy New Year to You John L. "Drive On"

Zombiewire

12-27-2005, 07:54 PM

Infant Protection

VeriChip is infant protection: one out of every two hospitals chooses the HALO® system or Hugs® system to protect their infants. With hundreds of installations in North America, we have the knowledge and experience to help you find the infant protection solution that’s right for your facility.

Why hospitals choose HALO

Proven anti-tamper technology
Ergonomic skin-sensing tag
Low cost of ownership
Choice of band solutions
Longest lasting tag
Robust system architecture
Distributed network design means no single point of failure
Expandable to other applications
Easy expansion to add emergency response, asset tracking and wander prevention
Convenience features
“Nurse-saver” feature for easy, secure bypass of exits
Tag locate feature

http://www.verichipcorp.com/content/solutions/infant_protection

Can you say conditioning?

Zombiewire

01-02-2006, 08:34 AM

Posted 21 minutes, 24 seconds ago on January 2, 2006 by james
Privacy, offshoring and the approval process for video franchises will be the big technology and telecommunications issues of the 2006 Colorado General Assembly, say industry observers.

"Protecting consumer privacy is going to be a big issue," said Jessica Wright, executive director of the AeA Mountain States Council, a nonprofit trade organization that represents technology companies in Colorado, Wyoming and Utah.

read more> www.rfidetail.com

large

01-02-2006, 05:23 PM

Yeah, right . . wait'll the industry hacks and lobbys get through with the committees . .

There is NO Colorado legislature, just a bunch of jokers drawing their paychecks and all the per diem they can get! These are the same people who brought you Tort instead of a viable and responsible Auto Insurance Mandate law. And Referendum C . . just to mention a few recent ones.

A little lobby money and a dinner at Wendy's . . they'll all fold like a cheap greeting card!

Zombiewire

01-14-2006, 07:46 AM

Giant changing the face of retailing, one country at a time

Menzer led the multistore acquisition of Asda of the U.K., and of Seiyu in Japan. These acquisitions have become the model for how Wal-Mart's roll out in new countries will be accomplished. Go into a country, pick a sizable retailer, take a piece, and then take the whole piece, then change the name, and voilà: a multitude of Wal-Mart stores with discounting in place, new technology behind it and an awesome scale of retailing and supply chain systems.

Wal-Mart is growing so fast by accelerating electronic sales — taking Apple Computer iPods, Hewlett-Packard printers and Toshiba laptops around the world. They'll grow by pushing their supermarket arena products. They'll grow as they set up in nation after nation.

Above all, they'll grow a store at a time. Already, they have retail stores operating in Mexico (774 units), Puerto Rico (54 units), Canada (263 units), Argentina (11 units), Brazil (295 units), China (56 units), Germany (88 units), South Korea (16 units), United Kingdom (315 units), Costa Rica (124 units), El Salvador (57 units), Guatemala (120 units), Honduras (32 units) and Nicaragua (30 units). During 2005, Wal-Mart started its move into India.

Forbes Wal-Mart around the world

Click on the links for more information
Country Stores
Mexico 744
Puerto Rico 54
Canada 263
Argentina 11
Brazil 295
China 56
Germany 88
United Kingdom 315
South Korea 16
Costa Rica 10
El Salvador 57
Guatemala 120
Honduras 32
Nicaragua 30
Japan 15
India 0

Source: Forbes.com • Print this

They are not only building stores in these countries, they are building their own distribution centers that are the logistics hubs where they receive, sort and stock the Wal-Mart stores in their area. These distribution centers can be ten times larger than their stores.

So the commitment within these countries is more than providing stores. It is a full supply chain system and all the logistics that can go into it. They can have a hundred or more docking stations in one distribution center. China, for instance, with its 56 stores, has several distribution centers such as the one at Shechen. These centers, like their stores, have local associates, and in China, they number in the tens of thousands.

But to keep a balanced view, there is a downside, too.

“Germany has been terrible for Wal-Mart," says Jon Jacobs, retail analyst for Cantor Fitzgerald. "They are taking losses in a soft economy. Their operations in the U.K, that are around 50 percent of their overseas business, have shown uneven results, halted growth and [caused] financial disappointment in a market that has taken a consumer tailspin. This would make it understandable that they would move forward in Japan and both Latin America and Central America where they have recently made many gains.”

Most important, Wal-Mart is exporting a retailing and supply chain system that not only trains and influences the "associates" but the public as well. People in these many countries become Wal-Mart customers. They will live with the results of Wal-Mart's (and P&G's) commitment to radio frequency identification (RFID). The technology sneaks into the store on cat’s feet.

The power of Wal-Mart is partly derived from its partnerships and its bold use of technology. These two things in combination give them the muscle to knock out much of the competition, for better or worse, regardless of state or nation. Retail Forward, Inc. has predicted that Wal-Mart will top $500 billion by 2010. That will translate into more power and more countries.

LIVE VOTE
Wal-Mart: Love it or hate it? Tell us what you think

The question is, What is this going to change, and how will the world and its customers adapt themselves to a Wal-Mart world?

Goodbye mom-and-pop stores, goodbye local stores in local places. Hello to stores that have a favored position in their procurement processes and their overall supply chain practice. Hello to efficient store-owned distribution centers. Hello to mega-stores with discount price advantages and a new sense of providing for shoppers' full-life experiences. Hello to radio frequency identification (RFID) and all its speed, accuracy and increased visibility of product availability.

© 2006 Forbes.com

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10838942/

large

01-14-2006, 03:17 PM

James, Economics and the "Better Mousetrap" Ideology will eventually doom Wal Mart. while I surely won't see it, just like every other "Revolutionary" Retailer or Manufacturing System that was going to "Eat up the World", economic hard facts corrected the situation.

In the 50's General Motors was discussed much in the same ways Wal Mart is cussed today . . Anybody see GM taking over the world? Naaa, they're barely hanging on, and finally outsold Ford for the first time in 22 years!

Change is always just around the corner. prediction is very difficult, but Wal Mart may just "Overextend" itself . . Y'never know . . . . .

Zen Curmudgeon

01-16-2006, 04:05 PM

It's not as sexy as a tinfoil hat, but it won't get you talked about in public.

http://www.rpi-polymath.com/ducttape/RFIDWallet.php

NEW RFID Blocking Wallet
Protect your money and privacy!

With the proliferation of RFID devices and related privacy concerns, it seemed due time to create the RFID Blocking Duct Tape Wallet. There are many ways to prevent Radio Frequency ID tags from being transmitted from devices. I often use my work badge and school ID which both contain RFID tags. With drivers licenses, credit cards, and cash now beginning to contain RFID tags, why not create the wallet.

Take Care -

ZC

Zombiewire

01-18-2006, 08:55 AM

This guy has the story on that and the Tagzapper.

From the likes of such RFID killers as the Tagzapper, multi-disciplinary Interaction Designer Dustin Kirk has developed the newest, most cutting edge RFID killer the likes which have never been seen before by the staff here at RFID Times. Mr. Kirk, a rising star in the world of Interactive Design, has given the world another quarky method of keeping RFID out of our already rapidly decreasing personal space.

Sometimes all you need is a little ingenuity. http://rfidtimes.blogspot.com/2006/01/rfid-duct-tape-wallet.html

It's not as sexy as a tinfoil hat, but it won't get you talked about in public.

http://www.rpi-polymath.com/ducttape/RFIDWallet.php

NEW RFID Blocking Wallet
Protect your money and privacy!

With the proliferation of RFID devices and related privacy concerns, it seemed due time to create the RFID Blocking Duct Tape Wallet. There are many ways to prevent Radio Frequency ID tags from being transmitted from devices. I often use my work badge and school ID which both contain RFID tags. With drivers licenses, credit cards, and cash now beginning to contain RFID tags, why not create the wallet.

Take Care -

ZC

Zombiewire

01-20-2006, 06:53 AM

Governments see data-gathering technology as the answer to a range of problems, but others see it as the gateway to nightmares, Simon Jeffery reports

Friday January 20, 2006

Late last year, the US state department announced its next generation passports would contain a thin metal sheet, a little like a layer of tinfoil. To privacy advocates and lobbyists in the US, the seemingly innocuous move was an official acknowledgement of their worst fears.
A few months previously the state department had announced that its new passports would be among the most advanced in the world: not only would they be biometric (holding a digitised record of their holders' fingerprints) but able to transmit that information using radio frequency identification, also known by the initials RFID.

the rest of the story http://www.guardian.co.uk/idcards/story/0,,1691004,00.html

Zombiewire

01-21-2006, 10:22 AM

Store owners who want to stand out in the crowd these days are embracing cutting-edge services.

Grocery shoppers in Central Florida may one day be able to place a deli order from a computer screen on their carts while browsing the frozen-foods aisle, or get personalized coupons on their cell phone as they pass products on their list.

This week, store executives got a peek at a high-tech store of the future during the National Retail Federation's annual convention in New York, which doubles as the shopping industry's biggest trade show.

Some of the technologies featured at the event could eventually find their way into stores in the Orlando area as retailers search for new ways to lure busy, tech-savvy shoppers.

Already, grocers in the Orlando area, including Albertsons, Winn-Dixie and Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market -- which opened a fourth Central Florida store this week -- have rolled out self-serve checkout machines, a technology that is expected to become much more common.

Marshal Cohen, retail analyst for the research firm NPD Group, told those at the convention that today's consumers are increasingly looking for a shopping "experience" that caters to individual needs and entertains.
" the rest of the story" http://go.rfidetail.com/

Zombiewire

02-13-2006, 10:54 AM

RFID tags that do not contain a silicon chip are called chipless tags. The primary potential benefit of the most promising chipless tags is that eventually they could be printed directly on products and packaging for 0.1 cents and replace ten trillion barcodes yearly with something far more versatile and reliable. Learn more from exclusive new IDTechEx research.
Feb 13, 2006

RFID is a powerful enabling technology with ever widening application. However, potentially the largest applications of RFID such as consumer packaged goods, postal items, drugs and books can only be fully addressed if tag prices drop to under one cent including fitting them in place. There are many paybacks from doing this but, even taken together, they do not justify more. These largest applications offer potential sales of ten trillion tags yearly but silicon chips will always be too expensive to form the basis of more than a tiny proportion of such tags. Even without the expense of a silicon chip, a fitted cost means that, like 95% of barcodes today, the majority of highest volume RFID tags must be applied directly to products and packaging to achieve a fitted cost of well under one cent. A totally new report based on new research by IDTechEx analyses the situation. It is called Chipless RFID Forecasts, Technologies & Players 2006-2016 - this is the only report to assess all the technologies, barriers, players and forecasts for chipless RFID.
What is Chipless RFID?
RFID tags that do not contain a silicon chip are called chipless tags. The primary potential benefit of the most promising chipless tags is that eventually they could be printed directly on products and packaging for 0.1 cents and replace ten trillion barcodes yearly with something far more versatile and reliable.

The mainstream types of chipless tags are digitally encoded and work at more than one millimetre range, like silicon chips. Their potential markets go beyond the lowest cost - highest volume potential markets because they have other attributes beyond cost. Indeed today they are sold for higher price than silicon chip tags in some cases and lower cost in others. That will continue to be the case. Unique signature, analogue artefacts such as the magnetically encoded stripe in a banknote or microwave reflecting fibres in security paper can be sensed at one millimetre away and therefore just about fit into our definition of RFID but they have little application beyond anti-counterfeiting. We therefore discuss them only briefly in this report and we omit them from our statistics.

The next ten years will see a rapid gain in market share of chipless tags. The numbers sold globally will rise from 5 million 0.4% in 2006 to 267 billion 45% in 2016. By value, chipless versions will rise from $1.2 million 0.1% in 2006 to $1.39 billion - a more modest 13% of all income from RFID tags in 2016 because most of the increase in penetration will be by price advantage. Including the infrastructure, software and services, that is a $2.8 billion market for chipless RFID systems in 2016. Thereafter, chipless tags will rapidly come to dominate the RFID market though the most technically capable chips, such as financial cards containing microprocessors, 5.8 GHz tags for non-stop road tolling or Ultra Wide Band tags for Real Time Location Systems will continue to be made using silicon chips.

MORE OF THE STORY>>>http://www.rfidetail.com/

Zombiewire

03-02-2006, 06:12 PM

Conference attendees say security worries could slow advance

12:00 AM CST on Wednesday, March 1, 2006

By VICTOR GODINEZ / The Dallas Morning News

RFID tags will soon be attached to everything from cellphones to credit cards to cartons of sour cream.

But if technology companies and consumer goods makers are determined to see that futuristic vision come true, then security and privacy concerns have to be addressed, panelists and speakers said at the RFID World show in Grapevine on Tuesday.

Manufacturers and technology creators have touted radio frequency identification as a faster, more-efficient alternative to bar codes.

But some critics have argued that the wireless data transmissions could leave consumers at risk of having their personal data hijacked.

Julie England, vice president at Texas Instruments Inc., said in her keynote speech Tuesday morning that those concerns can't be ignored.

"The key to success is finding this right balance between privacy protection and the appropriate use of data," she said.

Ms. England said that when RFID tags migrate from just being stuck on pallets and cases in warehouses and storerooms to being attached to individual items on store shelves, consumers should be guaranteed certain rights.

"They have the right to know whether a tag is embedded in the product, the right to have RFID tags removed or deactivated when the products are purchased, the right to opt out of RFID-enabled services, the right to access the RFID tag's data, and the right to know when, where, and why the tags are being read," she said.

While those radio frequency chips are basically designed to operate only inside a store, there are other tags – such as RFID-equipped cellphones and credit cards – which consumers are expected to take with them everywhere they go.

With those new uses come new security concerns, said David Bonalle, vice president and general manager of advanced payment at American Express Co.

He said RFID cards and phones can be used for so-called contactless payment, where the user simply waves their device near a reader and the purchase is completed.

Mr. Bonalle said data encryption and other security measures mean users don't have to worry about their card's data being stolen and duplicated.

"The consumers tell us they love the speed and convenience, and we're able to give them new security tools," he said.

But speakers also argued that some of the privacy concerns are overblown.

"My favorite myth is that bad guys are going to drive up and down the streets and scan our households for goods," said Jim McMasters, senior vice president of information systems at Arlington-based Tandy Brands Accessories Inc., which makes wallets, belts and other fashion accessories.

Kevin Brown, director of information systems at sour cream maker Daisy Brand Inc.said that while his firm has benefited from using RFID technology to iron out kinks in its supply chain, the technology sometimes fails.

James Jackson, director of vendor relationship management at VF Corp., a clothing company, said that getting the tags and readers to work correctly when they're just a few feet apart is challenging enough.

"I almost wish it was as good as the privacy advocates make it sound like it is," he said.

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/stories/DN-rfid_01bus.ART.State.Edition2.13640c56.html

Zombiewire

03-09-2006, 07:03 AM

Consumers will be willing to trade some of their privacy rights for the convenience and brand-loyalty discounts potentially on offer from RFID-tagged products.

That's according to a new report from the Economist Intelligence Unit, entitled RFID Comes of Age, which found that the adoption rate of RFID is accelerating despite concerns that the technology could compromise consumers' privacy rights.

However, the authors of the report say that consumers are sometimes willing to trade their privacy rights for the sake of convenience, efficiency and value.

"The analogy that we make is that customers are already giving up some of their privacy rights when they sign up for supermarket loyalty cards," said Gareth Lofthouse, editor of the report, speaking to ElectricNews.Net. "Customers make the trade-off in exchange for personalised product promotions."

With RFID, people who buy clothing in a particular shop could take advantage of a system that offered automatic discounts if they returned to the store wearing the shop's RFID-tagged clothing. These kinds of applications could not be offered if RFID tags were automatically removed or destroyed at the point of sale.

"Customers should be allowed to opt-in to applications like that," said Lofthouse.

The adoption of RFID by a wider section of industry will help the global market for the technology to grow from USD1.4 billion in 2003 to USD10.9 billion by 2009, according to US market research firm ABI Research.

Although companies in the retail sector were the first to adopt RFID, it has also been gaining ground in the consumer goods, logistics, life sciences, automotive and government sectors.

The report was released only days after IBM announced that it has opened an RFID research centre at its technology campus in Dublin.

The centre, which will be located at IBM's campus in Mulhuddart, will be the base for IBM's worldwide asset-tracking Centre of Excellence, staffed with a 25-person-strong Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology team. In addition, it will provide wireless and RFID support and consultancy services, along with customer test facilities.

http://www.enn.ie/frontpage/news-9673554.html

Zen Curmudgeon

03-28-2006, 05:23 AM

So. These guys think they may have found a way for implanted chips to manipulate genes.

http://tinyurl.com/ljx2a

A specialised microchip that could communicate with thousands of individual brain cells has been developed by European scientists.

The device will help researchers examine the workings of interconnected brain cells, and might one day enable them to develop computers that use live neurons for memory.

...Having boosted the electrical connection between the cells and chip, the researchers hope to be able to extend the chips influence further. "It should be possible to make the signals from the chip cause a neuron to alter its membrane and take up a new gene, or something that switches one off," says Vassanelli. "Now the chip has been developed, we plan to use it to try and switch genes on and off."

Now if the marketing guys at WalMart get hold of this... Is there a gene for, say, wearing polyester? :)

Take Care -

ZC

Zombiewire

03-28-2006, 06:46 AM

VERIzon VERIchip VERIvisa VERI VERI VERI VERI

What when pigs can fly??

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Automated pattern recognition based on the visual empirical region of influence (VERI) method: A user's guide
Gordon C. Osbourn, John W. Bartholomew, Ann M. Bouchard, Rubel F. Martinez

Sandia National Laboratories

Albuquerque, NM 87185-1423

Abstract

We present a new, nonparametric pattern recognition (PR) method based on the visual empirical region of influence (VERI) clustering technique. The VERI PR algorithm provides a powerful, general-purpose alternative both to statistical analysis methods and popular nonparametric methods (e.g. neural nets and k-nearest neighbors). We provide a detailed user's guide to the successful application of the VERI PR method and illustrate the distinctive properties which motivate the use of VERI for a variety of problems. VERI evidently provides the first effective pattern recognition technique that is completely automated, i.e. problem-dependent training optimization and outlier thresholds are not provided by the user. The VERI method implicitly contains multivariate "goodness-of-matching" thresholds, derived from human clustering threshold judgments, which are functions of the arbitrarily complex multivariate shape of each class in the data. This provides fully automated performance on arbitrarily complex data distributions, without risk of "overlearning", that can exceed the best results achievable with even careful optimization of neural net or k-nearest-neighbor approaches. The method automatically recognizes atypical outliers and automatically detects data for which multiple class matches, rather than only the "best" match, are acceptable. This is accomplished in a truly multivariate fashion, rather than with the simple univariate reject thresholds that are commonly adjusted in other approaches. These properties are especially useful for pattern recognition in uncontrolled/ unpredictable environments and for suppressing false alarms. VERI also provides an efficient, automated approach for directly searching for optimal feature sets for pattern recognition and data mining applications. The automated VERI approach allows an inexperienced user to correctly apply PR to problems in which unknown classes or incompletely distinguishable classes may be encountered, but without the need to supply any algorithm design inputs, training computations or multivariate reject threshold settings. We illustrate the use of VERI PR on three example applications: chemical recognition using arrays of partially-selective sensors; multivariate image classification of magnetic resonance imagery (MRI) of the brain, and a comparison of visualization graphics with VERI results on high-dimensional data.

http://zombiewire.com/?n=104&id=104

Zombiewire

04-02-2006, 10:16 AM

Help Desk: Your lost. You are walking up 4th street and you should be walking down Pueblo Blvd.!!!!!

Consumer: Who are you and how do you know I am lost?!!! ??????????@

Help Desk: I am a marketing specialist and your shoes told me.The new RFID chips in your shoes signals are received by a reader on the stop sign then submitted via WiFi to our Google search.... and also your undies need to be taken to a landfill

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

G2 Microsystems Inc has released its first product, an RFID chip for tags that can be read by WiFi access points. By doing away with a network of readers, the chip may give users as much as a 75% reduction in total cost of ownership, according to G2.

In other words, companies don't have to spend millions of dollars on pilot RFID projects using proprietary RFID infrastructure, but can use WiFi access points instead.

An RFID tag equipped with the new G2 chip can access the Internet through a local access point and communicate with a local server. Users can, therefore, track the location and condition of an RFID-tagged product as it moves through the supply chain.

The G2C501 system-on-chip also uses significantly less power than comparable products, said the Campbell, California-based company. An RFID tag with a G2C501 chip would last about five years at a 40-second report rate with two AA batteries. Current tags with the same configuration are only lasting a few months, said G2.

The new chip has a 125KHz receiver built in that lets users determine the location of a tagged product within 3 meters. The chip also has EPC support, which means it can also be used to operate within a passive RFID tag.

Cisco Systems Inc gave kudos to G2's chip. "We believe that G2 Microsystems' highly integrated solution will enable lower cost asset tags and that the targeted battery life will open up new markets," said Ben Gibson, director of product and technology marketing at Cisco's Wireless Networking Business Unit, in a G2 statement.

Currently, the chip is being used by Ekahau and PanGo Networks for tags for hospital, transportation, container port, automotive, oil and mining applications. The chip costs $12 per unit in high-volume quantities.

G2 has some heavyweight backers, including Siemens Venture Capital, UPS Strategic Enterprise Fund, Starfish Ventures and DB Capital Partners, the venture capital arm of Deutsche Asset Management (Australia).

http://www.cbronline.com/article_news.asp?guid=936848EC-6412-4A6A-B71D-76F99C0C9E3F

Zen Curmudgeon

04-02-2006, 05:52 PM

Zombiewire

04-04-2006, 06:16 PM

Infosec: Security concerns could slow RFID
MIT center that developed chips isn't blind to adoption hurdles

Related to this topic

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> Symantec unveils remote data backup software
> Trend Micro data revealed due to virus

APRIL 04, 2006 (NETWORK WORLD) - RFID will someday revolutionize business, but that won't occur until serious security issues are resolved.

That was the message delivered Monday at InfoSec World by Kevin Ashton, founder and director of MIT's Auto-ID Center, which developed RFID technology.

Ashton, currently vice president of marketing and business development for ThingMagic, a company that provides RFID readers and other sensing technology, said the basic idea behind RFID was to enable machines to "sense things on their own."

He said MIT and other places spent quite a bit of effort over the years trying to come up with machines that could "see" the world, but trying to replicate human vision proved incredibly difficult. As an alternative approach, RFID and other sensor technology use relatively simple and low cost chips to help machines perceive on their own.

The potential applications include RFID-based access control, human identification systems, cargo integrity, theft prevention and a number of military uses. Currently RFID is gaining a foothold at the back end of supply chains, but we won't be seeing RFID chips in retail applications until security concerns are addressed.

The problem, Ashton said, is that RFID chips and readers "talk to everybody" so it's possible for a hacker to use a "rogue reader" to gather information. And current standards do not provide for encryption of RFID transmissions.

"There's a lot of work to be done," said Ashton. He adds that it might take decades for the full RFID revolution to unfold, but it will happen eventually.
http://www.computerworld.com/securitytopics/security/story/0,10801,110190,00.html

Zombiewire

04-08-2006, 07:58 AM

The infrastructure begins. Can you imagine when the bar code is taken over by RFID?
The infrastructure will be completed and named National Human Identification System (NHIS),??

# The US Secretary of the Department of Agriculture has announced plans for the universal tagging of livestock in the US with RFID chips and implementation of various databases, etc.. So far it has been voluntary,but it is supposed to be universal by 2009.
# here is the press release from the USDA.gov site:

"Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns today announced the release of an implementation plan that outlines timelines and benchmarks for the establishment of the National Animal Identification System (NAIS), along with a plan for the initial integration of private and state animal tracking databases with NAIS.

"Developing an effective animal identification system has been a high priority for USDA and we've made significant strides toward achieving a comprehensive U.S. system," said Johanns. "We recognize that this represents one of the largest systematic changes ever faced by the livestock industry and we have welcomed suggestions from stakeholders to ensure that we continue to gain momentum. The plan we are releasing today will guide our efforts as we continue to work with our State and industry partners to implement a nationwide system."

The implementation plan continues to set an aggressive timeline for ensuring full implementation of the NAIS by 2009. It establishes benchmarks for incrementally accomplishing the remaining implementation goals to enable the NAIS to be operational by 2007, and to achieve full producer participation by 2009. Several important components have already been accomplished. These include the development of premises registration systems in each State and the issuance of guidelines for the manufacture and distribution of animal identification numbers. More than 235,000 premises are currently registered.

USDA is also releasing today the general technical standards for animal tracking databases that will enable integration of private systems with the NAIS. Private database owners are invited to submit applications for system evaluation to USDA and offer feedback as the final technical requirements are established. USDA will then enter into cooperative agreements with owners of databases that meet the standards. The application for system evaluation and a draft cooperative agreement are available on the NAIS web site at www.usda.gov/nais.

By early 2007, USDA expects to have the technology in place, called the Animal Trace Processing System or commonly known as the metadata system, that will allow state and federal animal health officials to query the NAIS and private databases during a disease investigation. The animal tracking databases will record and store animal movement tracking information for livestock that state and federal animal health officials will query for animals of interest in a disease investigation.

Training sessions will be offered to organizations interested in distributing animal identification number (AIN) tags as either a tag manager or tag reseller. Two USDA-sponsored web conferences about the administration of AIN tags and a demonstration of the AIN Management System are scheduled for Thursday, April 13 at 1 p.m., and Wednesday, April 26 at 1 p.m., Eastern Time. Details of the web conferences are available on the NAIS web site.

USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is also finalizing $3 million in funds that will be awarded to a number of States and Tribes to conduct field trials to analyze information pertaining to animal identification. Field trials will focus on the evaluation of new technologies for animal identification and automated data collection. APHIS will also fund an economic study focusing on the cost of NAIS implementation within a state; the development of procedures to measure the performance of identification devices and a bi-state study to develop recommendations regarding livestock exhibitions to achieve compatibility with the NAIS.

APHIS has awarded approximately $27 million in funds to States and Tribes to advance the national animal identification initiative. This funding has been used primarily for premises identification and registration. APHIS is updating a summary report detailing what has been accomplished through previously funded field trials and pilot projects. This report will be made public upon completion.

Throughout the establishment and implementation of the NAIS, USDA has engaged in extensive dialogue with producers and industry organizations across the country to gauge their views on animal identification. In April, 2005, USDA published a draft strategic plan and draft program standards for the NAIS and invited public comments on those documents. Industry-specific working groups have also been studying the issue of animal identification and will be making recommendations to USDA through an established advisory committee on how best to tailor the program to meet their industry-specific needs.

Additionally, USDA hosted a public meeting in Kansas City, Missouri, in November, 2005, to receive comments from cooperators and stakeholders on the animal movement tracking component of the NAIS. In total, these efforts have ensured that momentum continues to build around this important effort. USDA believes that it is critically important to develop the appropriate framework for the system to ensure successful implementation and wide-scale support.

The NAIS implementation plan, along with more information about the program, is available at www.usda.gov/nais."

Zombiewire

04-09-2006, 08:43 AM

I have been saying that WiFi and RFID and in bed together......Is your city next?

Privacy advocates are raising concerns about Google Inc.'s plans to cover San Francisco with free wireless Internet access, calling the company's proposal to track users' locations a potential gold mine of information for law enforcement and private litigators.

The Mountain View search engine intends to use the geographic data to match users with advertising so that they would see marketing messages from neighborhood businesses such as pizza parlors, cafes and book stores.

Google plans to use technology that would allow it to track users' whereabouts within a few hundred feet. The company said in its bid that it would retain the data for up to 180 days before deleting it, as part of an effort to "maintain the Google Wi-Fi network and deliver the best possible service."

Privacy advocates fear the information could by used by government officials to place users under surveillance and are more generally concerned that this new power raises the specter of "Big Brother" run amok.

"The greatest concern is that once you have that treasure trove of information, will people start to come looking for it?" said Kurt Opsahl, staff attorney for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a privacy watchdog group.

Google declined to comment about any privacy concerns raised by its Wi-Fi proposal.

On Wednesday, San Francisco tapped Google, and its partner EarthLink, to build the so-called Wi-Fi network, which would allow virtually everyone within the city limits to get online without having to plug a cable into their computers for a connection. The parties must still agree on a contract and seek approval from the Board of Supervisors before the network can be installed by year's end, if all goes as expected.

Google, the most popular search engine, will offer the free portion of the Wi-Fi service, to be supported by online advertising. EarthLink intends to offer a subscription version that comes with a faster connection.

Privacy advocates focus their worries on Google's requirement that users log on with a Google account before accessing the free Wi-Fi. Signing in, they complained, makes it possible to track Internet use and location to specific individuals.

Even users who log on with a pseudonym are at risk, privacy advocates said. All it would take to track down a user's identity are a few subpoenas or search warrants.

Some of the fears are exacerbated by a recent attempt by the Justice Department to make Google divulge the search records of thousands of its users. The government wanted the information to help resurrect a law intended to protect children from Internet pornography,

Google largely prevailed in the subsequent court battle. Privacy advocates said Google could have avoided the problem altogether by not keeping user search records.

As for Wi-Fi, not everyone is fearful of law enforcement knocking at their door. Scott Peradotto, an art consultant in San Francisco who uses Wi-Fi nearly everyday, said he would gladly use Google's service despite its tracking abilities.

"As a responsible adult, I know that when I go online, I take a chance," he said.

Peradotto called Google's free service a fantastic idea, and said it would encourage him to go online even more frequently. Currently, he uses free Wi-Fi at cafes, and, when he can, from home by taking advantage of unsecured connections in his neighborhood.

Privacy advocates have encouraged Google to drop the sign-in requirement, arguing that there should be some form of anonymous service so that users can access the Internet "without fear of government or commercial surveillance and intrusion." Over the past six months, they've also sent two letters to the city to lobby their case.

Chris Vein, executive director of San Francisco's technology department, has said that privacy was an important factor in the city's choice of Wi-Fi bidders.

In its bid, Google said matching advertising with users based on their location is a good opportunity for small businesses, for which traditional advertising may be too expensive.

Tracking user location is possible because of the technology of a Wi-Fi network. To cover a city the size of San Francisco, Google and its partners must install hundreds of antennas, or nodes.

Google can get a good idea of where a Wi-Fi user is based on which node the user gets online through. Advertisements can then be matched with the user's location, potentially increasing the likelihood that the user will click on the ad and generate money for Google.

It could be the difference between seeing an advertisement for Macy's, if a user happens to be in Union Square, or a seafood restaurant if the user is near Fisherman's Wharf.

In any case, that companies record location data on customers isn't new. Cell phone companies, for example, generally know where users are every time they make a call.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/04/08/BUGROI5S5J1.DTL

Zen Curmudgeon

04-09-2006, 09:17 AM

ZW wrote: I have been saying that WiFi and RFID and in bed together......Is your city next?

Sorry, but I didn't see "RFID" anywhere in the text. Could you show me where RFID and WiFi have been used together?

Take Care -

ZC

Zen Curmudgeon

04-09-2006, 04:41 PM

http://elfurl.com/3o3pd

Cameraphone as Store Scanner

A startup in New York City hopes to teach mobile subscribers to do more than take photos with their camera phones.
April 3, 2006

The cell phone has evolved into many things: television, web browser, MP3 player, video camera. Now, add barcode scanner to the list.

Olivier Attia, the founder and CEO of ScanBuy, imagines a future in which shoppers will use camera phones to snap a photo of a barcode and retrieve a mother lode of product information—from alerts for people with food allergies to special offers and short previews of DVDs or CDs that they can then buy.

Turning mobile camera phones into barcode scanners in the palms of consumers is hardly a no-brainer. It’s easy to imagine faster technologies, such as RFID scanners in phones, supplanting ScanBuy’s innovation, which relies on a steady hand and a focused lens. But ScanBuy does have an advantage. The New York City-based company is zeroing in on markets like the United States and Latin America, places where mobile phones are used for little more than voice and text. It’s an open field.

Looks like the data flow might be two-way after all.

Take Care -

ZC

Zombiewire

04-10-2006, 07:39 AM

There is always Yahoo search when in doubt....

Radio Frequency identification, or RFID (define), a high-tech solution to replace barcodes as the number one way to track assets and automatically collect data in any organization, is quickly taking on a life of its own as companies like Wal-Mart begin using it to make sure no widgets are misplaced.

RFID is growing in importance, and Wi-Fi companies -- especially those specializing in location awareness of wireless devices -- don't want to be left behind. The differentiator for location companies is that Wi-Fi-based RFID doesn't have to be passive -- instead of just knowing the last known location of a tagged item, the Wi-Fi RFID tags can be active and can be continuously tracked in real time.

AeroScout (formerly Bluesoft) was the first to do RFID with Wi-Fi. Its active tags require a network overlay system that works concurrently with an existing WLAN. This week, the company announced a new device for its platform, the AeroScout Exciter, which will identify tags as they pass through a "choke-point" -- for example, a door at a loading dock. The Exciter forces the tag to make an additional transmission when the tag passes the choke-point, a forced tracking measure based on the product's location. The Exciter will be available in October.

A new entrant into RFID this week is Wavelink, which makes WLAN manangement systems. Its middleware products will now support RFID -- though not necessarily only Wi-Fi-based. However, it can be integrated with the Wavelink WLAN management platform.

Ekahau does do Wi-Fi-based RFID, but differentiates itself from AeroScout by selling tags that can be used with any existing WLAN deployment. Ekahau has a back-end system that requires customers to build their own applications to take advantage of RFID.

This is where PanGo Networks of Framingham, Mass. -- also a location-enabler for WLANs -- plans to put its stamp in Wi-Fi RFID. Today the company announced its PanGo Locator, an Enterprise Asset Visibility (EAV) system that will -- like Ekahau's system -- use proprietary Wi-Fi-based RFID tags to work with any existing WLAN system. The difference is, says Richard Barnwell, the company's CTO, that while the technology can and will be used in many industries, "for marketing we've picked healthcare as a particular customer -- hospitals in particular."

He says there's a large amount of time wasted in finding people and equipment in such environments. PanGo estimates that 20% of the capital in hospitals is tied up in mobile assets which can't be found and might also be easily stolen.

Using 802.11b in tags powered by standard AA batteries, PanGo Locator|Healthcare (working with the PanOS platform installed in a hospital's central server) will position and track any asset equipped with a tag. Items that move around a lot (like wheelchairs) can be set to send a signal more often than items that are relatively stationary (like heart monitors).

"Our tags have a small micro-controller," says Barnwell. "They don't go into sleep mode -- they completely shut off when not transmitting. They're only associated for the few seconds that they do transmission."

This also helps save on battery life. Barnwell estimates a unit that only has to report in every eight hours or so would get over four years out of a set of two AA cells.

PanGo Locator for healthcare will come with an application specific to the industry, allowing for easy modification of tags through a software interface -- the WLAN then configures individual tags or groups of tags as needed over the airwaves.

PanGo worked with Cisco (Quote, Chart) to set up a trial at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) in Boston, where it's tracking assets in the ER and Cardiac Care Unit.

Other companies are also planning to become original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) (define) and integrators of the PanGo locator, including Tele-Tracking Technologies, which makes healthcare workflow automation technology, Four Rivers Software Systems, and Colubris Networks. The first two have more than 1,400 hospital customers already in the UK and North America.

http://www.wi-fiplanet.com/news/article.php/3407771

ZW wrote: I have been saying that WiFi and RFID and in bed together......Is your city next?

Sorry, but I didn't see "RFID" anywhere in the text. Could you show me where RFID and WiFi have been used together?

Take Care -

ZC

Zombiewire

04-10-2006, 08:11 PM

Hey a reporter from Wall Street Journal interviewed me yesterday concerning my Tagzapper. She said it should hit the front page bottom section.

What are the odds of a poor ex East side person being interviewed by the Wall Street Journal? Now that funny! cracks me up...

RFID destroyer www.tagzapper.com

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------TAGZAPPER
Well my Tagzapper has hit the big time.
Today is the first of a few articles concerning RFID Issues in the Wall Street Journal. The Tagzapper was only mentioned. I am hopeful that WSJ's Susan Warren will go into the basics of my interview in the coming articles. The story is titled " Why Some People Put These Credit Cards In the Microwave.

I was referred to as a militant........ Well not me but the likes of me.......

You can view it online if you are a subscriber to WSJ
http://online.wsj.com/google_login.h...og lenews_wsj

Zombiewire

04-13-2006, 08:23 AM

Lou Sirico takes to task the Wall Street Journal over its recent article about consumers putting their credit cards in the microwave in order to fry the RFID chips in them.

The story centered on RFID embedded cards such as the Mastercard PayP**** the American Express ExpressPay, and Visa's Blink.

Lou writes:

It is a sad day when the newspaper considered by many to contain America's finest journalism propagates scare stories without checking the facts. Many of us involved with RFID are now about to get a new round of questioning that we should be armed with answers for.

Lou goes on to explain the difference between "passive backscatter" and "inductive coupling" -- two different methods for activating the signals in passive RFID tags. He writes:

"The payment systems referred to in the WSJ article are using High Frequency (HF) tags and communicate via 'inductive coupling'. The tag must be exposed to a magnetic field in order to be activated. In order to achieve a read range of more than a few inches, a very large, powerful, magnetic field must be created. To be clear, if you walked in-between two, 36' wide antennas, the tag might be read as much as 3 feet away. A great deal of power would be required. No-one is going read something in your wallet or pocket simply by using a small, battery-powered handheld device."

I've said it before and I will say it once again: RFID has to be the most maligned technology out there today. It baffles me why. There are technologies equally mysterious to the average consumer. Yet they are not the target of regular media stories.

The Wall Street Journal article mentions the TagZapper. Now, I actually have no problem with people using devices like the TagZapper. I view them like radar detectors, for your car. Like radar detectors, there will always be a certain number of people who have a use for the device and feel the need to buy one. It's an individual decision and everyone is entitled to make that decision.

But I also agree with Lou that major newspapers should understand the technology if they are going to write a front page story like that.

Read Lou Sirico's article, "RFID Rumor Mill in Overdrive" at RFID Switchboard. The Wall Street Journal article can be found here (requires subscription).
http://www.rfid-weblog.com/50226711/tagzapper_wall_street_journal_and_the_facts.php

Zombiewire

04-17-2006, 06:24 PM

SPYCHIPS
How Major Corporations and Government Plan to Track Your Every Move with RFID

Spychips is the winner of the November 2005 Lysander Spooner Award for Advancing the Literature of Liberty. For more information about the Lysander Spooner Awards, CLICK HERE.

To go to our full review, or to go to purchase the book, CLICK HERE.

The excerpt, below, is Chapter 1 of the book, Spychips. Enjoy!

_______________________________________________

SPYCHIPS
How Major Corporations and Government Plan to Track Your Every Move with RFID

by Katherine Albrecht and Liz McIntyre

CHAPTER 1:
Tracking Everything Everywhere
—The RFID Threat—

RFID will have a pervasive impact on every aspect of civilization, much the same way the printing press, the industrial revolution and the Internet and personal computers have transformed society.... RFID is a big deal. Its impact will be pervasive, personal and profound. It will be the biggest deal since Edison gave us the light bulb.
—Rick Duris, Frontline Solutions Magazine, December 2003¹

Technology... is a queer thing. It brings you great gifts with one hand, and it stabs you in the back with the other.
—C.P. Snow, New York Times, 1971²

Imagine a world of no more privacy.

Where your every purchase is monitored and recorded in a database, and your every belonging is numbered. Where someone many states away or perhaps in another country has a record of everything you have ever bought, of everything you have ever owned, of every item of clothing in your closet—every pair of shoes. What's more, these items can even be tracked remotely.

Once your every possession is recorded in a database and can be tracked, you can also be tracked and monitored remotely through the things you wear, carry and interact with every day.

We may be standing on the brink of that terrifying world if global corporations and government agencies have their way. It's the world that Wal-Mart, Target, Gillette, Procter & Gamble, Kraft, IBM, and even the United States Postal Service want to usher in within the next ten years.

It's the world of radio frequency identification.

READ MORE >>>>>>>>>>

http://www.lfb.com/index.php?template=spychipsexcerpt.html&stocknumber=PV9017

Zombiewire

04-20-2006, 08:27 AM

DHS weighs different technologies amid interoperability and privacy concerns

The recent extension of radio frequency identification testing at border crossings would seem to boost the prospects for getting widespread systems in place. But the Homeland Security Department still faces significant hurdles in integrating, particularly for border crossing, RFID applications and standards, government officials and IT experts said.

There is a drive to develop a common RFID standard for all border crossing identification cards, but one of the main challenges is harmonizing different privacy considerations that apply to holders of each type of card. Ultrahigh-frequency RFID, which permits readings of information at up to 60 feet away, could spark the greatest privacy concern.

“It has the potential for quickly identifying American citizens in a crowd,” said P.T. Wright, a Homeland Security official involved in RFID card development, in response to a question at a FOSE trade show presentation last month.

The U.S. Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology (U.S. Visit) program can read RFID-enabled documents 35 feet away in tests. To safeguard privacy, the RFID documents transmit only a series of numbers, which must be matched to a database to identify a person.

Privacy protection
But the upcoming People Access Security Service card, referred to as the PASS card, which will be issued to U.S. citizens who frequently cross the borders with Canada and Mexico, is likely to have different privacy considerations.

Like the RFID-enabled e-passport it resembles, the card, which DHS and the State Department will issue, can contain personal information. If the PASS card is RFID-enabled—and no decision has been made yet—it could require greater privacy protections and a more restrictive reading distance to protect privacy.

At a recent Senate hearing, DHS secretary Michael Chertoff said the agency was pushing to develop a single RFID standard for border crossing cards, including not only U.S. Visit and P**** but possibly the Mexican “laser visa” Border Crossing Card, Nexus and Sentri trusted-traveler cards and the Free and Secure Trade commercial truck driver identification cards.

Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) asked Chertoff why, in moving toward a single border crossing card, the department appears to be supporting the ultrahigh-frequency RFID standard instead of the e-passport standard.

“I don’t think a decision has been made,” Chertoff said. “I’ve talked to Secretary [Condoleezza] Rice about this, and I think we’ve both agreed that we actually ought to migrate to a common standard ... I want to have a chip, some kind of RFID chip, that is compatible, whether we do it in a passport or in a border crossing card or in some other kind of card.”

The primary reason for moving to a single RFID-enabled card or document is efficiency, to avoid having multiple cards and readers at the border ports. “You won’t be carrying five cards,” said Wright, director of mission operations for U.S. Visit. “We’re looking to the future.”

But integrating the DHS border-crossing cards could be a slow and difficult process because of thorny privacy issues and because the government already has invested in particular technologies.

“There are some significant policy issues involved,” said a federal official who is involved in the RFID discussions, but who declined to be identified because of the sensitivity of the issues. “It’s not close to being resolved.”

State’s e-passport plan sparked controversy for months when it was first introduced, because of privacy concerns. Additional security features addressed the problem. A similar fate could await a harmonized RFID border-crossing card. In U.S. Visit testing, the RFID chips, which are tiny microprocessors, have been embedded in travel documents issued to about 200,000 foreign visitors at five entry ports in Arizona, New York and Washington states since the tests began last year.

A reader 35 feet overhead wirelessly scans the documents while visitors leave the United States in their vehicles. Readers mounted several feet away along traffic lanes again scan the documents when visitors re-enter the country.

Additional tests
The department this summer will begin a second phase of tests to see if dozens of the RFID-enabled travel documents can be read simultaneously at high speeds, and to see if the documents can be matched efficiently with vehicle license plates. “In the future, the entry ports could look like toll plazas,” Wright said.

The tests have shown that the RFID documents can be read accurately when the cars are moving at speeds of up to 50 miles per hour, said Bill Hartwell, a vice president of Symbol Technologies Inc. of Holtsville, N.Y., whose RFID system is being tested in U.S. Visit.

“In some cases, eight lanes of traffic are being scanned,” he said.

http://www.gcn.com/print/25_8/40409-1.html

Zombiewire

04-21-2006, 07:21 AM

ARLINGTON, Va.--In at least a dozen states, the electronics industry has been waging a battle against a rash of proposed laws aimed at limiting--and in some cases outlawing--use of electronically readable chips in personal identification documents.

No states have enacted such laws yet, but bills have been up for debate in California, New Hampshire, Washington, Rhode Island, New Mexico, Illinois and Missouri, among others, during the past couple of years, panelists said Wednesday at an industry conference here about smart card use by the government.

Those proposed laws have been introduced because of concerns raised by privacy advocates over the possibility that as radio-frequency identification, or RFID, chips, become more commonly used in government-issued IDs, they could be abused for secret tracking or unauthorized collection of information about the people who carry the IDs.

State legislators have been far too quick to believe "misinformation" spread by "the tinfoil hat crowd," said Richard Varn, a consultant who counts RFID technology manufacturer HID among his clients.

Varn, formerly Iowa's chief information officer, joined other industry advocates in urging chipmakers to drown out what they deemed a campaign based on fear, uncertainty and doubt. Consumers Against Supermarket Privacy Invasion and Numbering, for instance, started life as a way to oppose supermarket discount cards and has found a new cause in opposition to RFID. CASPIAN founder Katherine Albrecht has co-authored a book that's described as outlining how RFID fulfills "biblical prophesies" in a way that's "uncannily similar to the prophecies of Revelation."

The industry agrees with privacy advocates that skimming information off RFID-laced documents should be a crime bearing strong penalties. But the panelists said they would urge state governments to make use of laws they already have. Many states, for instance, already prohibit theft of information via magnetic stripes on credit cards and other documents, so they could simply broaden and update those laws to make it clear that RFID chips are also included in that category, Varn suggested.

"Consumers don't know what RFID does, so to them it's voodoo, it's magic," said Marc Anthony Signorino, technology policy director for the American Electronics Association, which represents about 2,700 companies. "Part of our job is to educate them about what it can do and what it cannot do."

Some of the proposed state laws, the bulk of which now lack adequate support or lie dormant, have contained such broad definitions of concepts like "personal information" and "tracking device" that they risked wiping out a sweeping list of technologies traditionally lauded by politicians, the panelists said. They said some of the sweeping measures would have outlawed everything from the enhanced 911 system, which can automatically pinpoint a caller's location, to RFID-equipped hospital bracelets aimed at keeping tabs on newborn babies, to the toll-collecting transponders affixed to car windshields.

When alerted to such unintended consequences, many states backpedaled on their requirements, the panelists said. "The longer they start thinking, the more carve-outs they have to grant, so the legislation ends up looking like Swiss cheese," Signorino said.
In other news:

* Apple argues for blogger records
* Spring fashion: Bargain PCs
* Aibo, Gort join Robot Hall of Fame
* News.com Extra: Typo confounds 'Kryptos' sleuths
* Video: New Opera browser debuts

But the industry's fight continues, as not all states have shelved the idea yet. A bill introduced just last week in the California legislature would prohibit the issuance of state driver's licenses or identification cards that use "radio waves to either transmit personal information remotely or to enable personal information to be read from the license or card remotely."

It's most likely a response to upcoming regulations from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security prescribing standards for states to roll out a uniform national identification card, which may be required for all Americans by 2008. The law, known as the Real ID Act, has drawn widespread opposition from states, and the New Hampshire House of Representatives recently approved a bill that would prohibit it from participating.

The new DHS regulations, expected later this year, likely won't require the cards to employ RFID because it's too volatile a political issue, said Robert Atkinson, a former analyst at a Democratic Party-affiliated group who recently founded a new think tank called the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation. Even so, he added, "I just can't stress enough the importance of really fighting this fight now....We're just lucky these bills didn't pass."

http://news.com.com/Tech+industry+attacks+state+anti-RFID+laws/2100-1028_3-6062985.html

Zombiewire

04-23-2006, 11:50 AM

Here are some links concerning TagZapper noise and a few of ZombieWire racket

http://www.gizmodo.com/gadgets/gadgets/household/rfid-zappers-will-save-us-036039.php

http://adverlab.blogspot.com/2005/03/tagzapper-neutralizes-rfid-tags.html

http://wireless.engadget.com/2005/03/16/tagzapper-rfid-washer-rfid-deactivators/

http://centeredlibrarian.blogspot.com/2005/03/rfid-zapper.html

http://rfidtimes.blogspot.com/2005/03/tagzapper-not-enough-to-protect-our.html

http://www.cscout.com/blog/index.php?p=44

http://www.echarton.com/blog/archives/03-01-2005_03-31-2005.html#307

http://www.manoogian.net/blog/blogx/ViewItem.asp?Entry=154

http://rfidtimes.blogspot.com/2005/03/rfid-tagzapper-invented.html

http://ubiks.net/local/blog/jmt/archives/003477.html

http://lekkerdesign.com/hippoblog/2005/03/fight-future.htm

http://bouphonia.blogspot.com/2005/03/erasing-mark-of-beast.html

http://ginex.blogsome.com/2005/03/16/varie-tagzapper/

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Zombiewire

http://www.rfid-weblog.com/50226711/interview_with_an_rfid_privacy_advocate.php

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TagZapper Wall Street Story Mention

http://www.knoxnews.com/kns/national/article/0,1406,KNS_350_4610144,00.html

http://www.rfid-weblog.com/50226711/tagzapper_wall_street_journal_and_the_facts.php#Vo ting

Zombiewire

04-25-2006, 07:58 AM

Lawmaker Wants To Prevent Mandatory Microchip Implants
Microchips Implanted In People's Arms Hold Personal Info

MADISON, Wis. -- Former Gov. Tommy Thompson was one of the first high-profile supporters of tiny microchips implanted in people's arms that would allow doctors to access medical information.

Now the state he used to lead is poised to become the first to ban governments and private businesses from forcing such implants on employees, privacy advocates say.

A proposal moving through the state Legislature would prohibit anyone from requiring people to have the tiny chips embedded in them or doing so without their knowledge. Violators would face fines of up to $10,000.

The plan authored by Rep. Marlin Schneider, D-Wisconsin Rapids, won approval in the Assembly last month. The state Senate on Tuesday is scheduled to consider the measure, which would allow for the implants if the person gives consent.
Click here to find out more!

Gov. Jim Doyle would sign the bill, a spokesman said.

Schneider aides say the legislator wants the law in place before companies and governments could use them to keep track of their employees.

"I don't think most people had thought about this as an issue, but it's scary. It's reality now," said Michael Schoenfield, an aide to Schneider. "Companies can or will be ordering their employees to have chips implanted. We want to stop that before it begins."

VeriChip Corp. of Delray Beach, Fla., is the only company with federal approval to implant such chips in people. The company so far has implanted 2,500 people worldwide with chips the size of a grain of rice under the skin of their upper arms, said spokesman John O. Procter.

Thompson endorsed this application last year as a way to give hospitals easy access to patients' medical records when he joined VeriChip's board of directors and vowed to "get chipped" himself.

Procter said Monday that Thompson has not undergone the procedure, which he likened to getting a shot, but plans to do so once more hospitals adopt the technology. The chips give off a radio frequency signal identifying a patient. The signal is used to access personal information in an Internet database.

VeriChip is also marketing the implants as a way for companies or governments to limit access to high-security areas.

In February, a Cincinnati surveillance equipment company became the first U.S. business to use this application when a handful of employees voluntarily got implants to allow them to enter secure rooms. Some employees in the Mexico attorney general's office have also been implanted with chips, whose signals are recognized by readers in doorways.

Procter said VeriChip supports the spirit of Schneider's bill and would not work with companies forcing employees to get implants. However, he said the implants are superior to employee badges or key chains as a way to limit access.

"It's more secure. It's discreet and it can't be lost or stolen," he said.

Privacy advocates say they are unaware of any companies forcing implants but are worried the technology is taking off with little debate about potential abuses.

Wisconsin would be the first state to ban mandatory implants, said Katherine Albrecht, a New Hampshire privacy advocate and co-author of "Spychips: How Major Corporations and Government Plan to Track Your Every Move with RFID."

Albrecht said she recently handed Thompson a copy of her book when he was in New Hampshire giving a speech.

"What an interesting irony that the foremost chip promoter in the world comes from Wisconsin and Wisconsin would be the first state to say, 'Hey, at least get our permission first'," Albrecht said. "It's good that lawmakers in Wisconsin are paying attention to the fact that this technology even exists."

The proposal would leave the door open for the state to order implants to track sex offenders or for parents to track their children under an amendment offered by Rep. Scott Suder, R-Abbotsford. Such applications are years away because the chips do not yet allow for surveillance tracking.

"The bill may be a little ahead of its time but I think it prevents some very onerous activity," Suder said. "It is groundbreaking."

http://www.nbc4.com/technology/8980664/detail.html#

Zombiewire

04-26-2006, 10:09 AM

ID Please!
Developing a Plan For an RFID-Enabled Technology

Author(s)
Jennifer Rittner, The New York Times Learning Network
Bridget Anderson, The Bank Street College of Education in New York City

Grades: 6-8, 9-12
Subjects: Civics, Language Arts, Social Studies, Technology
Interdisciplinary Connections

Overview of Lesson Plan:In this lesson, students share opinions about the technologies used to identify them and monitor their activities. They then develop plans for new uses of RFID-enabled technologies to share with the cl**** and write essays persuading readers to use their proposed technologies.
Review the Academic Content Standards related to this lesson.

Suggested Time Allowance:1 hour

Objectives:
Students will:
1. Share opinions about technologies used to identify and monitor people.
2. Learn about radio frequency identification (RFID) technology by reading and discussing the article "Study Says Chips in ID Tags Are Vulnerable to Viruses."
3. Develop a plan for a new use for RFID-enabled technology and present it as a poster.
4. Write a persuasive essay that addresses the issues raised in class work.

Resources / Materials:
-pens/pencils
-five large poster boards prepared as directed in the Warm-Up
-classroom board
-copies of the article "Study Says Chips in ID Tags Are Vulnerable to Viruses," found online at http://www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/featured_articles/20060316thursday.html (one per student)
-resources for investigating technologies and their uses such as special interest publications, science journals, library resources and computers with Internet access

Activities / Procedures:
1. WARM-UP/DO-NOW: Before cl**** prepare five posters with the following headings: "School," "Airport," "Online Retailer," "Government Building," and "Bank." In cl**** arrange desks in small groups and place a poster at each grouping. As students enter the cl**** have them work together to respond to the following prompt on their posters (written on the board): "What technologies do you depend on to identify yourself as you enter or conduct business in this location? How might these institutions use identification technologies to monitor your activities within their facilities and beyond?" After a few minutes, have students share their responses with the class. Ask them if they believe that technologies designed to monitor the activities and/or movements of people and/or goods should be considered an essential area for further development and application, and why.

2. As a cl**** read and discuss the article "Study Says Chips in ID Tags Are Vulnerable to Viruses" http://www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/featured_articles/20060316thursday.html, focusing on the following questions:
a. How are radio frequency identification tags, or RFIDs, currently used?
b. What development have researchers discovered about them?
c. Why did researchers think this was not possible?
d. How are RFID tags an improvement over bar codes?
e. What debate has the chip innovation started and why?
f. Why is the new development a cause for additional concern?
g. If the researchers have not identified specific flaws, why do they continue to express concern?
h. How might the researchers' knowledge of computer viruses and worms inform their study?
i. How might those wishing to use a chip for malicious purposes use a common software error to their advantage?
j. Why might money be in factor in determining the ability of others to use chips for malicious purposes?
k. What other security problems has Peter Neumann identified?
l. What are industry professionals doing to address the problem?
m.How might attackers use encryption techniques to subvert a chip's intended purpose?
n. What example do the researchers offer to support their proposal for additional protections and why might that be particularly relevant today?
o. Why might a person wish to subvert pricing or misidentify a pet?

3. Explain to students that they will work in groups to develop a plan for a new RFID-enabled technology that they think will become essential for individuals and/or society as a whole. Begin by presenting a broader definition of RFID, as provided on the Vrije Universiteit researchers' Web site (http://www.rfidvirus.org/). As a cl**** brainstorm the various areas of human interaction that might benefit from RFID technology, and note student responses on the board. The list below offers some ideas for consideration and may be used to prompt students. Have each group choose an idea from the list they brainstormed to investigate further. Students will develop their plan as a poster and oral presentation to the cl**** responding to the questions listed below (provided as a handout for easier student access). They should include any visuals such as illustrations, photographs, graphs, and charts that might illuminate their plan.

read more>>>>>>>>>>>http://www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/lessons/20060316thursday.html

Zombiewire

04-28-2006, 05:36 PM

By Laurie Sullivan, TechWeb News

The next pair of Levi Strauss & Co. jeans bought in a retail store could have a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag attached, the company confirmed Friday.

Levi Strauss & Co. spokesman Jeffrey Beckman confirms that the clothing maker began shipping men's jeans, excluding the infamous button-up fly 501s, to one retail location in the United States. The trial uses RFID tags clipped to the outside of the garment to focus on inventory management.

Declining to name the retail store and location, Beckman confirmed Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Target Corp., both of which have well-publicized RFID supply chain projects underway, don't sell the style of men's jeans shipping with RFID tags. About 80 percent of Levi Strauss' sales are through 10 customers, he said.

The project tests the ability for one unnamed retail store selling Levi Strauss products to manage inventory and stock replenishment with assistance from RFID technology rather than bar codes. "The tags have information similar to bar codes, such as product, style, size and color," Beckman said. "Having this information will allow the retail store to replenish stock quickly, so customers are frustrating when they can't find the style and size. That's the ultimate goal."

Beckman also confirmed Levi & Strauss tags products, including Dockers-brand pants, selling them through two retail locations in Mexico. Most retailers are slow to adopt RFID for item-level tagging, as more look toward spending budgets on loyalty programs and workforce management, said Rob Garf, research director at AMR Research Inc.

Maybe so, but some investments are going toward RFID technology projects to tag individual items, rather than track cases and pallets of goods moving through the supply chain. "Some industries gaining traction are fashion textile and luxury goods," said Alastair McArthur, chief technology officer at TAGSYS, which builds readers and RFID systems. "These are areas where item-level tagging has begun, and will continue to increase much quicker than in supermarkets to tag, for example, peanut butter."

"Individual items ending up with tags are typically priced at about $25 and above," said Alan McNab, senior director of product marketing for the RFID division at Symbol Technologies Inc., which sells inlays for RFID tags and readers.

News of Levis Strauss prompted Katherine Albrecht and Liz McIntyre, known privacy activists and authors of the book "Spychips: How Major Corporations and Government Plan to Track your Every Move with RFID" to issue a comment accusing the jean maker of "violating a call for a moratorium on item-level tagging."

The two said more than 40 "leading privacy and civil liberties organizations have called for a moratorium on chipping individual consumer items because the technology can be used to track people without their knowledge or consent."

Albrecht believes the company's silence about the U.S. test location is to prevent a consumer backlash. Clothing retailer Benetton was hit hard by a consumer boycott led by Albrecht in 2003, when the company announced plans to embed RFID tags in its Sisley line of women's clothing.
http://www.techweb.com/wire/ebiz/187001899%3bjsessionid=2TY4AYJFM2DSOQSNDBNSKHSCJUM EKJVN

Zombiewire

05-04-2006, 08:49 PM

As we turn the page on year 2004, each of us has something to celebrate. No matter what your religion, or personal beliefs, if you are able to read this, you have life, sight, and the means to access the Internet. Things that we take for granted are often not available to those less fortunate. This holiday season, please take a moment to give thanks for all that you do have, and make an opportunity to share some of your blessings with others. I hope for all a prosperous New Year as we begin the second half of the first decade of this new century.

Grumpy Holiday Column

After encouraging you to enjoy the holiday season, you may label me as an old curmudgeon after I show my grumpy side. Such are the risks of writing for an intelligent and perceptive audience.

The thing that has me grumped is the unreasonable paranoia that seems to surround the term RFID. One of our readers sent an e-mail that prompted me to think about RFID phobia once again. That e-mail questioned the availability of a device called “TagZapper”. Curious about the name, I did a quick Google search. The search results page has several listings, with the top listing a forum site that purports to be a discussion group for the benefit of the developer, who is asking potential users what features it should have. Now that, in itself is comical. The premise of this device preys on the fears of modern day Luddites who want to disable RFID tags in order to maintain one's privacy. Ha!

Do you have gas? No, I'm not referring to that other kind, but to natural gas. If you are a customer of a public utility, you probably gave up more of your privacy to have the gas turned on than can be discerned from an itty-bitty RFID tag. Affinity cards issued by super markets are also a compromise to privacy, if you are paranoid. From the movement led by the Harvard doctoral student (I'll not mention her name here), who stopped Bennetton in its tracks, to those who believe the Government has nothing better to do than surreptitiously obtain your underwear size, or the brand of razor blade that you conceal in your bathroom, there is a band out there who fear this new technology. Are all these people buying things, doing things, or going places that they are ashamed to admit? I should laugh, as this is really funny, but cannot, as it really is sad.

First, what is their fear? I often describe myself as a simple person. As a simple person, I believe that there is more good in this world than bad. I also believe that the advance of technology is inevitable, and that stopping the advance of this technology will only come with a better, alternate technology. Driving the advance of technology in this case is Wal-Mart and the US Department of Defense. Each has mandated that suppliers (initially, the top 100 or 200) shipping goods to distribution centers, (three in Texas for Wal-Mart) apply RFID tags to cases and as pallet identifiers. This does not seem so onerous. Why should we be concerned about distribution center operations? The conclusion that is reached is that RFID will soon be on each item that you buy, and that powerful scanners can track that can of beans you purchased as you roll out to the parking lot, drive home and store it in the pantry. How awful! Beans in the pantry! Have you no shame? No, but they might be able to learn my clothing size. Ask my waist size, and I'll tell you. I'm a bit on the round side, so if anyone should want to hide their numbers, it should be me. I also don't care what size bra or shorts you may wear, and if I did, I'd probably just ask, not use a radio scanner to find out.

We at [TC]² have tracked the development of RFID tags since 1993, and after eleven years, the cost and read reliability is still not at a level that will allow attachment to individual items, with exception of high price point products. The ability to do multiple reads of many tags in close proximity has been promised for years. I actually saw a demo at IBM, reading a few tags in a single box, in 1993 or 1994. Doing so in a distribution center, on a pallet with other cartons, and with other RF sources and metallic objects in near proximity has not proven to be easy. This will happen, I'm sure, but not at the required read rates and not at January 1,2005. Why then, is there so much fear regarding this technology? I believe it is ignorance.

Working with scientists from the Department of Energy's National Laboratories, and drawing together all known producers of RFID, a symposium was held at [TC]² in 1994. Before the symposium, we had, as an industry group with many companies in attendance, developed a “cradle to grave” RFID tag usage story, where the tag would have read/write capability, and at manufacture of the product would have a blank tag imbedded. As the product moved from manufacturing through distribution, at each transition point, it would be interrogated, information added, until eventually at retail, the customer would be recorded at point of sale, allowing for easy return without receipt, and preventing theft since it would require validation at POS before leaving the store. As one would expect, leaving the store after purchase would initiate a new unit entering the order stream, and supply chain management would be terrific. As the customer used the product, in the case of apparel, the dry cleaner would be able to read the tag and ensure that the correct garment was returned to the customer, after having followed the RF tag's instructions for care, and customer preferences for starch, etc. At the end of the life of the item, the recycle center would be able to decompose the components, because materials would be known. From inception to end of life, the RF tag would be there every step of the way. This cornucopia of benefits would be automatic, and those sections of the chip's memory would only give up information to those with a need to know. Yes, we had a rose colored view of the benefits of RF tagging, and no, were not concerned about privacy issues. Remember, this was before the public adoption of the internet, and before identity theft was a household word.

So the RFID community has been presented some lofty goals, and to date has not met the much less stringent requirements mandated by Wal-Mart, DoD, and later Target. This will happen , so get used to it. Technology marches on, and if it is not in the form of current day RFID, there will be something better to take its place. What we must do is educate the consumer to understand the benefits of technology for taking cost out of supply chain operations, and the potential for personal convenience when the technology comes of age.

Now, back to the TagZapper. Since I don't have time to join discussion groups, and since the purported developer of the TagZapper forgot to include a phone number, I don't know if this is real or is just a practical joke. In case it's real, I'll just list my features wanted here. The retail packaging must be robust. Since it will be tagged with an RFID tag for display in the store, a rigid package will prevent it from zapping its own tag and therefore not be available for purchase at checkout. I'd like it to contain a flashlight, just in case I'm in a dimly lit store and need to check some item for an RFID tag. One end should dispense breath mints, as I wouldn't want to offend, a magnet to allow attaching to a smart shelf while I read a dumb label, an MP3 player would be nice, and since it would then have headphones, maybe a cell phone built in too. On second thought, a robust package may be a negative. If it's too hard to open, I might wait until I reach home to unpack, but, then I could be tracked…

http://www.techexchange.com/thelibrary/techcorner/dec2004.html

Zombiewire

05-05-2006, 03:05 PM

A working group of corporate giants including Microsoft, IBM, Proctor & Gamble, as well as consumer bodies, have agreed and published a set of best practices designed to promote respect for consumer privacy in the growing use of RFID technology.

RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) refers to a broad range of technologies that allow users to track and identify physical items using radio waves. RFID "tags" of various types can be placed on shipping crates, livestock, even clothing, where they can be later identified by RFID readers designed to scan the items at a distance. Many of those applications raise no real privacy concerns, but when the data collected from RFID tags is linked to personally identifiable information, privacy issues can arise. The best practices are geared specifically toward those instances.

This week's publication offers guidance for companies that use RFID technology to collect data that can be linked to consumers' personally identifiable information. Drawn largely from widely accepted principles of "fair information practices," the best practices outline how consumers should be notified about RFID data collection, what choice they should have with regard to their own personal information, and how that information should be treated by the companies that collect it.

"This is one of the most important steps yet taken to ensure that developing RFID technology is not deployed in a manner that threatens the privacy of individuals," said Paula Bruening, staff counsel for the Center for Democracy &Technology (CDT) which led the working group. "This document establishes a carefully crafted balance: recognizing the core privacy needs of citizens while acknowledging that early-stage technology needs the flexibility to change as it evolves."

The compromise struck in the document is remarkable considering the diversity of the organisations participating in the working group. In addition to CDT, the American Library Association, aQuantive, Cisco Systems, Eli Lilly and Company, IBM, Intel, Microsoft, the National Consumers League, Procter & Gamble, VeriSign and Visa USA all worked for more than a year to develop the document, a first of its kind for RFID technology.

Identifying situations in which information linkage may raise concerns, the document lays out clear responses based on the fair information principles of notice, consent, access, transfer and security.

"RFID is a fast-evolving technology that may soon become ubiquitous in our lives," said Bruening. "While it offers great promise, it also raises serious privacy concerns."

She described the document as "a vital first step toward addressing those concerns in a manner that respects the pace and uncertainty of technological advancement."

The document will be treated as a draft that can be updated to respond to changes in the way RFID functions and is deployed, according to the working group.

See: The document >>http://go.rfidetail.com/item/437/

Zombiewire

05-07-2006, 10:23 AM

PAGE ONE

Why Some People Put
These Credit Cards
In the Microwave

Mr. Walker Took a Hammer
To His New MasterCard --
To Stop the Radio Waves
By SUSAN WARREN
April 10, 2006; Page A1

When Brenden Walker got his new MasterCard PayPass ATM card in the mail last month, he headed to the gas station to try it out.

To test the card's "Tap N Go" convenience, he passed it in front of the scanner, which activated with a beep and displayed the word "authorizing..." on its LCD screen.

That was quite enough for Mr. Walker. Without completing the transaction, he put the card down on the pavement and took a hammer to it.
[Brenden Walker]

"I gave it a couple of good whacks," he says.

The PayPass card, which contains an embedded radio chip, had worked perfectly. Other companies have their own versions: Exxon (SpeedPass), American Express (ExpressPay) and Visa (Contactless and Blink). In each case, the cards use an embedded electronic chip with miniature antenna. When activated by a scanner, the chip transmits the user's account information via radio signals. In just the wave of a hand, the purchase amount is automatically drawn from an account.

But Mr. Walker, a 37-year-old software engineer in Canton, Ohio, is one of a growing number of computer and technology experts who are becoming anxious about possible abuses of the technology. Mr. Walker fears that thieves will be able to eavesdrop on the radio transmission and buy gas at his expense. He also figures that he himself could walk past the pump and accidentally pay for somebody else's gas, though the card companies say he would have to get within two inches of the scanner to accomplish that feat.

In any event, he wants no part of it. Hammering the card destroyed the chip. "I tried it again and...nothing," he says. "I might as well have been holding up a salami sandwich."

As the chips become more widespread, other militants are seeking them out and destroying them. And a little industry is springing up on the Internet to pitch an array of devices meant to protect consumers from abuses of the technology, called radio frequency identification, or RFID. One example: wallets with metal shields built in that block radio signals.

Radio chips have been around for decades performing other tasks, mostly related to security access. They are the invisible passports that allow motorists to breeze through highway tollbooths and let employees open their office doors.

Pets and people are getting chip implants under their skin that carry identification or medical information. Governments are beginning to use radio chips in driver's licenses and passports. Retailers use them to track inventory. The banks that are now using chips in their credit and cash cards say they make transactions more efficient -- and more convenient for customers.

Critics such as Mr. Walker worry that sensitive information will be intercepted. Some privacy advocates envision businesses and government furtively gathering personal data on unsuspecting consumers, and criminals taking identify theft to a whole new level.

A German group called FoeBud, which describes itself as a civil-rights group for the digital age, is featuring an array of RFID-busting products in the organization's online store. Items include "deactivator nippers," which look remarkably like a common hole-punch, priced at about $7. The most popular item in the store has been a copper bracelet with a red light that blinks when it is near an RFID scanner, says Rena Tangens, FoeBud's founder. The store claims to have sold about a thousand bracelets so far at about $18. "People think this is a cool gadget," Ms. Tangens says.

Others are using do-it-yourself methods for disabling radio chips, including microwaving them. The electromagnetic energy emitted by a microwave oven fries the chip and renders it useless. The downside: Tagged items might burst into flames in the process, warns Caspian, a consumer group campaigning against the widening use of radio tags. The group suggests cutting out the chip with a pair of scissors, puncturing it with a straight pin, crushing it or pulverizing it.

Several Web sites boast about -- but don't yet sell -- devices with names like TagZapper and RFIDWasher, which are supposed to make disabling the tags easier. Technology experts say some of these "zappers" work by emitting a burst of electromagnetic energy that permanently destroys the tag. Unfortunately, they say, it might also fry other nearby electronics, including iPods and cellphones.

Some techies in Germany figured out how to make a Zapper by modifying a disposable camera. When you hit the switch, instead of taking a picture, it emits a burst of electromagnetic energy that fries any nearby electronics. They have posted an extensive description of their project on the Internet. Several technology experts contacted say it should work, but the developers did not respond to emails requesting comment.

A Web site describing the gadget listed several potential hazards, including electric shocks and Federal Communications Commission law violations. It also warned, "Don't try it near your grandpa's pacemaker."

Makers of products using RFID say privacy and security safeguards are being built into the chips to prevent abuses. MasterCard International says multiple layers of security are available to prevent MasterCard data from being stolen by electronic eavesdropping. It is up to the companies that issue the card to decide which security measures to adopt, says Art Kranzley, MasterCard's executive vice president in charge of new payment technologies.

Customers who don't want RFID in their PayPass payment cards can ask to be issued an old-fashioned chipless card, says Mr. Kranzley.

Kelly Lum, 23 years old, a computer-network engineer in Eatontown, N.J., recently bought a wallet online from a site called DIFRWear (RFID backwards). The wallet has a metal insert designed to shield her radio-chip bank card from being read without her knowledge.

The card Ms. Lum carries came without any information about security safeguards, she says, so she decided to take no chances. "It's maybe a little bit of a paranoia thing, but hey, it's my credit rating," she says.

Eric Caraszi, a 26-year-old computer programmer in Albany, N.Y., recently bought an RFID-proof wallet after having a conversation with a co-worker about different ways criminals might be able to exploit RFID-chip cards -- from sneaky scans on crowded elevators to high-powered scanners on the roadside that could mine passing traffic.

"For every smart person trying to make a lock, there is going to be an equally smart person trying to unlock that lock," he notes.

Write to Susan Warren at susan.warren@wsj.com

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB114463085998921417.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

Zombiewire

05-09-2006, 07:38 AM

Ubisense is promoting a technology that promises to create new opportunities -- as well as controversy.

Based in Cambridge, England, Ubisense specializes in radio frequency identification (RFID), which uses electronic tags for storing data.

The company, which employs 10 people in its U.S. headquarters in Greenwood Village, has developed precise, real-time location systems that can locate employees and objects as close as one foot away through RFID tags and 3-D computer monitors.

Privacy advocates worry that RFID has the potential to impede on personal rights. A plan from the U.S. State Department to use RFID technology for electronic passports drew criticism from business travel groups worried that unauthorized readers could intercept the signals.

Some retailers use RFID on a volunteer basis to monitor consumer shopping habits. They do so by giving consumers bags of complimentary products, with the understanding that they're carrying an RFID tag that will trace their migration through stores.

Jay Cadman, vice president for sales and marketing at Ubisense, said the company's use of RFID tags to track people has been innocuous and voluntary.

For example, employees can agree to wear RFID tags on a limited basis so that their employers can determine how to use office space more efficiently.

Cadman said RFID is extremely helpful in certain facilities, such as in hospitals to locate medical personnel or in nuclear power plants to steer workers away from areas with high levels of radiation.

Also in hospitals, RFID can help trace tagged medical devices that are borrowed and sometimes lost.

Marcus Torchia, senior analyst for The Yankee Group, a Boston-based research firm, said health care is one of Ubisense's most promising markets. From a patient-safety perspective, Torchia said it's critical for health care workers to locate the right medical devices on a timely basis. But simple cost savings are another reason RFID companies will find opportunities in the sector.

http://denver.bizjournals.com/denver/stories/2006/05/08/story2.html

Zombiewire

05-17-2006, 05:40 AM

Some police departments have begun testing spychipped police badges.

South Carolina Highway Patrol, Brookline Massachusetts Police Department, and Louisiana State Capitol Police are testing SmartShield, said John Domurad, director of research and development at Blackinton. Furthest along on deployment, the South Carolina Highway Patrol began September testing badges in the field. The agency deployed the software earlier this year. Next, deploying Datastrip Inc.'s DSVII-SC readers running Windows CE.Net in the field, Domurad said.

The DSVII-SC reader can communicate over wireless LAN or cellular networks, has biometric capabilities, and reads PDF bar codes, magnetic strips and RFID chips. It also can retrieve data from on-board memory or an external database via wireless 802.11 or Bluetooth technology, said Stuart Tucker, customer and sales support manager at Datastrip.

Blackinton's application uses 125 kilohertz or a 13.56 megahertz RFID chip. Each encoded with an identification number and law enforcement agency number specific to the division and embedded into the badge made from ferrous metals. "The chip is embedded into the badge, not attached," Domurad said. "The chip becomes inoperable if someone tries to remove."

http://www.blackinton.com/smartshieldbadge/index.htm

Zombiewire

05-20-2006, 07:23 AM

VERICHIP INJECTS ITSELF INTO IMMIGRATION DEBATE
Company Pushes RFID Implants for Immigrants, Guest Workers

Scott Silverman, Chairman of the Board of VeriChip Corporation, has
alarmed civil libertarians by promoting the company's subcutaneous human
tracking device as a way to identify immigrants and guest workers. He
appeared on the Fox News Channel earlier this week, the morning after
President Bush called for high-tech measures to clamp down on Mexican
immigrants.

Privacy advocates Katherine Albrecht and Liz McIntyre are warning that a
government-sanctioned chipping program such as that suggested by
Silverman could quickly be expanded to include U.S. citizens, as well.

The VeriChip is a glass encapsulated Radio Frequency Identification tag
that is injected into the flesh to uniquely number and identify people.
The tag can be read silently and invisibly by radio waves from up to a
foot or more away, right through clothing. The highly controversial
device is also being marketed as a way to access secure areas, link to
medical records, and serve as a payment device when associated with a
credit card.

"Makers of VeriChip have been planning for this day. They've lost
millions of dollars trying to sell their invasive product to North
America, and now they see an opportunity in the desperation of the
people of Latin America," Albrecht observes.

VeriChip's Silverman bandied about the idea of chipping foreigners on
national television Tuesday, emboldened by the Bush Administration call
to know "who is in our country and why they are here." He told Fox &
Friends that the VeriChip could be used to register guest workers,
verify their identities as they cross the border, and "be used for
enforcement purposes at the employer level." He added, "We have talked
to many people in Washington about using it...."

Silverman is reportedly also planning to share his vision on CNBC's
Squawk Box if a slot opens up tomorrow (Friday) morning sometime between
6 and 9 AM Eastern Time. He was originally scheduled to appear on the
show this morning, but technical problems at the Florida studio
prevented his appearance.

The numbering and chipping of people seems like a plot from a dystopian
novel, but the company has gotten the buy-in from highly placed current
and former government officials, including Columbian President Alvaro
Uribe. He reportedly told Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA) that he would
consider having microchips implanted into Colombian workers before they
are permitted to enter the United States to work on a seasonal basis.

"The mantra 'chip the foreigners' has little appeal once people realize
the company wants to stamp its 'electronic tattoo' into every one of
us," cautions McIntyre. "Electronically branding and tracking visitors
like cattle is VeriChip's excuse to get the government on board. But if
that happens, we'll all be in their sights."

Tommy Thompson, former Secretary of Health and Human Services joined the
board of VeriChip Corporation after leaving his Bush administration
cabinet post. Shortly thereafter, he went on national television
recommending that all Americans get chipped as a way to link to their
medical records. He also suggested the VeriChip could replace military
dog tags, and a spokesman boasted that the company had been in talks
with the Pentagon.

Privacy advocates warn that once people are numbered with a remotely
readable RFID tag like the VeriChip, they can be tracked. Once they can
be tracked, they can be monitored and controlled.

http://go.rfidetail.com/item/440/

Zombiewire

05-29-2006, 07:41 AM

Major corporations in Canada have quietly started using implanted radio chips to track the movement of products and their secretive behaviour and potential for using the technology to invade the private lives of Canadians has raised serious alarm with the federal privacy commissioner.

The technology, called radio frequency identification (RFID) is poised to radically expand the ability of corporations to spy on customers' shopping habits, track items in homes and allow the government to monitor the movement of immigrants.

Privacy experts are seriously concerned about the implications of this exploding industry, which many Canadians don't even realize exists.

"One of the primary concerns of this office is the deployment of RFID technology in Canada because it has such an implication to be integrated into daily life, in clothes, in objects, in food and things we take from the supermarket to our home," privacy commissioner Jennifer Stoddart said in an interview.

The privacy commissioner will outline her concerns to Parliament on Tuesday in her annual report on the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act.

Radio frequency identification is so precise it can tell retailers which aisle of a store customers spend most time in, what items they put in their shopping cart and those they put back on the shelf. It can even monitor an individual's entire shopping history in a particular store.

"It could very well be even revolutionary, not just the next step on the kind of product tracking and customer purchase monitoring. I think it's going to change the face of retail and supply chains in a lot of ways that people can't even anticipate right now," said Peter Fader, marketing professor at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School.

At its most basic level, RFID tags can be described as product identification tools that many experts say will replace traditional bar codes in the next few years. But their ability to follow an individual's movements, habits and purchases sound more like something out of science fiction.

A RFID tag is a small object that can be embedded surreptitiously into a person, animal or product. The tags are equipped with small antennas that allow them to receive and respond to RFID transceivers or readers. But unlike bar codes, radio tags can be read through packaging material, and multiple tags can be read simultaneously.

Also unlike bar codes, RFID tags have identification numbers, which means any tag can uniquely identify the object it is attached to, even if that object is identical to numerous other items.

And that's where the "potential privacy threat" is, according to Stoddart and other privacy experts.

RFID tags can be secretly embedded in clothing or other products and people have no way of knowing when they're being read. If there is a dense collection of reader devices, a person with a radio tag attached to them can be tracked to a specific time and place. If the unique ID number is associated with an individual through a credit card or other piece of information, it would be easy to create a profile of that individual's shopping habits.

This creates unprecedented possibilities for corporations to customize advertisements or promotions to an individual consumer and track their habits.

"Now, you can start to do things really crazy and get rewarded for them in the marketplace," said Fader. "It really lends itself to a wonderful type of experimentation."

While the technology has been around for decades, it's been seen as too costly or expensive for use on individual retail goods -- until now. Numerous corporations are "aggressively exploring the feasibility of tagging individual items today," said a recently published article in RFID Journal, an industry publication.

Once the technology takes hold, privacy experts fear consumers will never be able to escape the prying eyes of corporations, government or hackers again.

"Right now, the most powerful global corporations and agencies around the world have literally (invested) hundreds of millions of dollars and the average person has no idea this infrastructure is being built around him or her," said Katherine Albrecht, a consumer privacy expert who is considered one of the leading authorities on privacy concerns relating to RFID tags.

Several companies in Canada, including Wal-Mart and United Postal Service, are using RFID technology or plan to in the near future. While most of the RFID tags in Canada are believed to be used on bulk packages and shipments for inventory purposes and to help companies keep track of where their products are, all indications point to the fact RFID tags will soon be used on every item we purchase, from individual shampoo bottles to items of clothing.

Wayne Bosch, vice-president of e-commerce and professional services for UPS Canada, said their customers are pushing the company to put RFID tags on individual products. Pharmaceuticals, electronics and retail are the three big areas where there is a major push toward putting RFID tags on individual products.

In her research, Albrecht has discovered IBM has a patent application for a "person tracking unit" that talks about hiding radio reader devices in floors and ceilings to surreptitiously identify people as they walk by. From a business perspective, it would allow companies to "look" inside a woman's purse to see what items she's carrying in order to specifically market products to her. But IBM also talks about how access to such technology could be used by the government for law enforcement purposes, a "chilling" example of how Big Brother could literally invade our private lives, she said.

While companies will have the ability to track a person's movements and habits with the help of RFID tags, corporations aren't interested in spying on individual's, Fader said. Rather, the technology will give them power to learn about behavioural characteristics of an entire group of customers.

Stoddart said the government should invest in an education campaign to tell Canadians about this new technology, and she wants to establish guidelines requiring corporations to tell consumers when, where and how the ID tags are being used.
http://go.rfidetail.com/item/442/

Zombiewire

05-30-2006, 09:39 PM

Canada's privacy watchdog wants more power and money so she can audit the privacy policies of Canadian businesses.

In her annual report to Parliament on Tuesday, Privacy Commissioner Jennifer Stoddart promised her office will be "more assertive ensuring all businesses are complying" with the five-year-old federal act protecting personal information.

"We are considering seeking amendments that would give the privacy commissioner the discretion to visit private sector entities and review their privacy management framework and practices," said the report, adding this power could be used "even when a privacy breach has not become public."

The Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act, scheduled for a mandatory review by Parliament this year, has been criticized by some as toothless.

Perhaps the most well publicized case in recent years was the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce mistakenly faxing sensitive client information to a West Virginia scrapyard from 2001 to 2004, despite repeated requests from the scrapyard owner for the bank to stop.

Stoddart's report says the CIBC has been co-operating with her and she plans a followup report next year on measures the bank has taken to tighten its procedures.

In the meantime, the privacy commissioner says her office needs stable, longterm funding and an increased budget - as well as more broadly defined powers - to carry out more privacy audits.

The report also highlights concerns that government agencies are attempting to gain widespread access to private commercial information in the war on terrorism.

"We must stand on guard against state access to the databanks of the corporate world," Stoddart wrote.

"Fears of terrorist attacks or impending pandemics provide superficially attractive justifications for intrusive powers, but the real need for these powers is often not apparent."

The report includes a chapter on the growing use of tiny tracking technology, known as radio frequency identification devices or RFID, embedded in some consumer products.

The devices are already being linked to personal information, by cross-referencing credit card details with the tagged items that are purchased, in order to get remarkably detailed profiles of consumer preferences.

Stoddart warns of a host of privacy concerns raised by RFID technology.

"Even if information about the tagged item remains generic, identifying items people wear or carry could associate them with particular events - for example, political rallies or protests," she wrote.

There is also the possibility that purchases could be used by insurance companies or employers to determine a person's prescription drug use, for example.

"RFIDs are already being linked to personal information, and are sometimes used to track people," said the report.

http://www.macleans.ca/topstories/politics/news/shownews.jsp?content=n053025A

Zombiewire

06-02-2006, 07:09 AM

Wal-Mart Canada Corp. will launch a test this fall of controversial new technology that can track products from the supplier to the store, in an attempt to ensure that the shelves are never empty.

Looking to improve its bottom line, the discount retailer will roll out the pilot in 20 of its 272 stores and one distribution centre, spokeswoman Christi Gallagher said in an interview. About 16 suppliers will be asked to volunteer, picked from among a number who are already participating in similar U.S. tests of the tiny electronic chips, called radio frequency identification devices.

This week, Canada's Privacy Commissioner issued a warning about RFIDs, saying they could be used to collect information about consumer habits and even the consumers themselves.

Jennifer Stoddart said RFIDs can be placed in just about anything that is sold to, or used by, people, including credit cards, money, passports, luggage, clothing and food packaging. In this way, every object can be uniquely identified and tied to people by the linking of personal data with the item.

Still, Ms. Gallagher said Wal-Mart's test only entails placing the tags on cartons or pallets of products -- and not on the products themselves. Therefore, customers will not walk out of the store with the RFID tags, she said.

"For the foreseeable future, we don't anticipate focusing on item-level tagging," she said, adding later: "We plan to take a measured approach -- one step at a time -- and make adjustments as we go."

The retailer wants to use the chips to try to closely monitor its products. Particularly, it wants to ensure that it is never out of stock of the more popular items. Merchants often lose money -- and customers -- when shoppers arrive at a store just to find that the product they wanted is sold out.

A recent study of U.S. parent Wal-Mart Stores Inc.'s RFID pilot found that the discounter enjoyed a 30-per-cent reduction in out-of-stock situations as a result of using the chips.

The study, sponsored by Wal-Mart, also showed that test stores outperformed control stores by 63 per cent, and RFID-tagged items within the test stores were more readily available than non-tagged items within those same stores by threefold.

Ultimately, Wal-Mart expects that using RFIDs will boost sales as customers are able to find more of the products they want on the shelves, Ms. Gallagher said.

Already Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer, excels at operating a highly efficient distribution system, helping to make it stiff competition for rivals. The added benefit of RFIDs will make it an even savvier competitor, industry observers said.

Retailers have generally been slow to adopt RFID because the technology remains expensive. Grocery giant Loblaw Cos. Ltd. may test the chips later this year, an official has said. They will help the chain to operate more efficiently, chairman Galen Weston said last month, adding the technology will inevitably come to Loblaw.

Staples/Business Depot Canada, meanwhile, introduced a small pilot in one of its 265 stores and a distribution centre a few months ago, said Jeff Williams, vice-president of information services.

Staples has not placed the chips in products, only in cartons, he said. "We're not tagging anything that a customer would leave the store with."

He said product tracking accuracy with RFID is "pretty good," although one test case showed that the performance was better with manual scanning. But it's still early days, he added.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20060602.wxrrfid02/BNStory/Business/?page=rss&id=RTGAM.20060602.wxrrfid02

Zombiewire

06-11-2006, 11:44 AM

SACRAMENTO - Sen. Joe Simitian is trying a new tactic in his year-and-a-half-long campaign to control the use of tracking devices in government-issued identification cards.

Bills by the Palo Alto Democrat that would bar the use of radio-frequency identification devices in driver's licenses and school identification cards are up Tuesday in the Assembly Judiciary Committee.

"They are sort of the second and third act in a three-part play," said Simitian, who decided to focus on school cards and driver's licenses while trying to negotiate a broader bill with the electronics industry.

"Those are two very straightforward kinds of applications where there are easily understood (privacy) concerns that are easier for members of the Legislature to wrap their heads around."

RFID's are tiny chips that provide information by emitting radio signals. They're used in a variety of ways, including keeping track of store inventories, providing access to buildings and automatically assessing toll-road fees.

A decision by a Sutter County school to use RFIDs in student identification cards to track attendance produced a heated protest last year by parents and civil libertarians. The school dropped the program after the company that developed the technology pulled out.

Simitian is concerned the devices could be misused in a couple of ways - by overzealous officials violating privacy rights and by identity thieves, stalkers and other criminals gaining access to personal information.

"If you get mugged you know that someone stole your wallet and you can cancel your credit cards," he said. "But if someone uses a reader to pick this information up (off a RFID) you don't know, and you can't take any steps to protect yourself."

Carol Henton, a vice president with the Information Technology Association of America, an industry group, says concerns about the use of RFIDs in driver's licenses are premature and the devices can make schools and students safer without endangering personal information.

"Our position is that people should not be allowed to skim or illegally intercept any kind of transmission off an RFID tag," she said. "But if you just wholesale ban the technology it's shortsighted and not wise public policy."

Her group and others that represent the electronics industry are backing a rival bill by Assemblyman Alberto Torrico, D-Fremont, that would require a study of how to prevent RFIDs from being used to violate privacy or steal personal information.

Backers also plan to add some interim controls to the measure.

Steve Haskins, a spokesman for the Department of Motor Vehicles, said the department has no plans to use RFIDs in driver's licenses, but Simitian said they could be used to comply with federal requirements that are still on the drawing board.

Here are some of the other bills that face action this week:

GAYS-TEXTBOOKS: Sen. Sheila Kuehl's bill that would require social science textbooks to mention the contributions made by gays to society is before the Assembly Education Committee on Wednesday. But if it gets out of the Assembly it's headed for a veto by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

PRISON SEGREGATION - A bill that's on the Assembly Public Safety Committee agenda on Tuesday would put strict limits on racial segregation of state prison inmates. The measure, by Senate Majority Leader Gloria Romero, D-Los Angeles, would carry out a ruling issued last year by the U.S. Supreme Court.

WAL-MART IMPACT - The Assembly Local Government Committee takes up a bill Wednesday that would require economic impact reports before local governments approve Wal-Mart-style superstores. Critics of the stores say they could lower wages and drive out other businesses. Schwarzenegger vetoed a similar bill by the same author, Sen. Richard Alarcon, D-Van Nuys, in 2004.

HEMP FARMING - California farmers could grow hemp, a distant cousin of marijuana, under a bill by Assemblyman Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, that on the Senate Public Safety Committee's agenda on Tuesday. Supporters say hemp has only a trace of the drug in marijuana and can be used in a variety of products ranging from clothing to food.

INTERNET GIFTS - Assemblyman Tim Leslie, R-Tahoe City, wants consumers to know what they're getting into when they apply for gifts offered in Internet advertisements. His bill, which is before the Senate Business and Professions Committee on Monday, would require companies offering the gifts to disclose, among other things, how many products the consumer would have to buy to get the gift.

http://www.sanluisobispo.com/mld/sanluisobispo/14795247.htm

Zombiewire

06-13-2006, 06:35 PM

The FDA believes that radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology is the most promising way to track drugs as they move through the supply chain. However, the FDA said Friday it will hold off on requiring drug manufacturers and distributors to use the technology.

Drugs will have to be tracked every time they change hands from the factory to the pharmacy under provisions of an 18-year-old law the government is just now ready to enforce.
The Food and Drug Administration had long put off enforcement of the provisions in response to concerns from secondary wholesalers that the tracking requirement could put them out of business.

The slow pace in the adoption of enabling technology led to further delays. The regulatory agency now says those concerns have either dissipated or no longer justify staving off enforcement any further.

The FDA believes that radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology is the most promising way to track drugs as they move through the supply chain. However, the FDA said Friday it will hold off on requiring drug manufacturers and distributors to use the technology.

The agency said it was disappointed in the lack of progress in adopting the electronic track-and-trace tags across the drug supply chain.

Health officials have long sought ways to establish the so-called "pedigree" of a drug as a means of keeping counterfeit medicines out of the drug supply. The pedigree includes details of each sale of a drug in the wholesale market.

The rule will take effect when the most recent holds expire Dec. 1.

Pedigree information is expected to be passed along by wholesalers in paper form until RFID technology enters wider use.

Authorized distributors -- wholesalers with an "ongoing relationship" with a manufacturer -- are not required to supply pedigree information for drugs. Secondary wholesalers, however, will have to obtain and provide pedigree information to sell a drug.

Enforcement efforts will focus on high-value drugs and those that are either vulnerable to counterfeiting or have been counterfeited previously, the FDA said.

The prevalence of counterfeit drugs is very low, according to the agency. The most commonly counterfeited drugs include Viagra, Tamiflu, Lamisil, Cialis and Procrit.
http://www.cio-today.com/news/FDA-To-Require-Drug-Tracking-Via-RFID/story.xhtml?story_id=031001C7QA8U

Zombiewire

06-20-2006, 07:07 AM

1. What is the U. S. Animal Identification Plan?
2. What is the National Animal Identification System (NAIS)?
3. What’s the difference between the USAIP and the NAIS?
4. Why is a national animal identification system needed?
5. Is this plan part of Country of Origin Labeling (COOL)?
6. Why is 48-hour traceback capability needed?
7. What are the benefits for producers in adopting the U.S. Animal Identification Plan/NAIS?
8. How much will the program cost?
9. Who will pay for the identification system?
10. Where do I get a premises ID?
11. What forms of identification will be used?
12. Do I have to eartag my horse?
13. Where do I get an official ID tag or device?
14. Will animal owners need to have a radio frequency identification (RFID) reader?
15. Who will pay for RFID readers and their installation in markets and slaughter plants? Who will pay for the electronic identification devices?
16. If I am currently using an ID program through a private service or marketing alliance, will my ID be usable in the USAIP?
17. Should I, or my State Cattle Association, consider options for aligning ourselves with a database management provider so I can be sure I comply with the USAIP?
18. Who will be responsible for applying identification to animals?
19. What is a tagging station and where will such stations be located?
20. If I raise animals for my own use and they never leave my property, do they need to be identified?
21. If I only show my animals or take them to trail rides do they need to be identified?
22. What is “commingling”?
23. What data will be required to be kept, by whom and in what form?
24. Who will have access to information in the National Animal ID Databases?
25. What species are included in the program?
26. Will this be a mandatory program?
27. Will I be able to sell my livestock if they are not officially identified?
28. Can animals be identified as a group?
29. What are the penalties for not using the program?
30. What are the liability issues of this program for animal owners?
31. What is the timeline for implementing this program?
32. Who has developed this plan?
33. Who is on the Team?
34. What government entities will have oversight of this plan?
35. What will be the ID requirements for animals entering the United States from other countries?
36. With the phase-out of existing official animal identification devices by July 2005, what will happen with Brucellosis vaccination tags? Will they still be used?
37. What will happen with the national Scrapie eradication program's ID system?
38. Where can interested stakeholders go to obtain more information about this plan?
39. Is there still time to have input into the plan?

Zen Curmudgeon

06-23-2006, 08:50 AM

Sex workers go smart with cards (http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?NewsID=1036385)
K Raghu
Sunday, June 18, 2006 23:17 IST

BANGALORE: Under a project facilitated by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, about 500 sex workers in Mysore own chip-embedded smart cards, which when presented during transactions help them get discounts at select shops and hotels and earn them loyalty points that can be redeemed for discounts on later purchases. The shopping basket can include provisions, food at restaurants and clothes.

The cards also contains medical data for each of the holders, and plays an important role in controlling AIDS and other STD's in this worker population.

Take Care -

ZC

Zen Curmudgeon

06-25-2006, 02:28 PM

In an effort to control over-pouring & undercharging, RFID tech is being used to monitor bartenders (http://www.rfidjournal.com/article/articleview/2447/1/1/).

June 22, 2006—Treasure Island (TI), a Las Vegas hotel and casino, has installed a system utilizing RFID to track the amount and type of liquor its bartenders pour.

While this might seem a good idea to the CPAs I wonder how the bartenders' tips will be affected?

Take Care -

ZC

Zombiewire

07-06-2006, 08:20 AM

Privaris Inc. expects to begin pilots for a biometrically secured contactless-payment fob in both physical point-of-sale and Internet payment applications by year’s end, an executive with the Charlottesville, Va.-based company says. While the device, which Privaris announced last week as the first contactless key fob secured by fingerprint ID, has apparently drawn interest from transaction processors as well as banks, the company “can’t say how many we expect to ship” this year, says Stephen E. McDorman, vice president of commercial systems. “We’re in discussions with several transaction providers in addition to major credit card issuers,” he says. “Our potential is not limited to the major credit card companies.” He says he can’t be more specific about who these entities are, as the discussions are protected by a non-disclosure agreement.

Approximately the size of an automobile key fob and weighing one ounce, the device, which Privaris calls the plusID, features a fingerprint sensor, which the users touches to initiate transactions. For online transactions, the device would plug into the USB port of a laptop or other computer. The plusID works on the commonly accepted ISO 14443 standard, which MasterCard Inc., American Express Co., and Visa USA have all adopted for contactless payments.

Privaris is hoping the fob’s beefed-up security will give it an edge over chip-embedded cards and other form factors that have been introduced so far for contactless payments, an application rapidly gaining in popularity. The device will transmit card-account data to a point-of-sale transceiver only if the user’s fingerprint matches the one stored in the device’s chip. In this way, the company hopes to answer two security concerns at once: the security of radio-frequency transactions and the protection of massive warehouses of biometric data. “All biometric processing is done on our device,” says McDorman. “The advantage for us is I’m not transmitting the fingerprint and I’m not storing the fingerprint in a database, so there’s no database to protect.”

In this vein, Privaris is also working to achieve certification of the device at a standard that will guarantee tamper resistance, meaning the chip will automatically erase all data stored in it if anyone tries to crack it. This so-called FIPS 140-2 Level 3 certification, McDorman says, will be a first for a contactless payment device. “What we’ve heard repeatedly from issuers is they would require FIPS Level 3,” says McDorman, who adds the company hopes to have the certification by the end of the year.

Final pricing for the fob hasn’t yet been determined, but McDorman says single-copy prices for “off-the-shelf” units will probably start at $100 each. “I would expect financial institutions would be interested in either the existing device or a derivative device whose price point could be lower,” he says. The device, which relies on a new chip from Broadcom Corp., can achieve 1,000 uses between charges, Privaris says. Battery life has been a vexing engineering challenge for devices combining biometric processors with wireless transmission capability.

The plusID device represents at least the second effort by vendors to produce payment devices relying on radio-frequency identification and secured by fingerprint sensors. Digital Defense Group announced a biometrically secured card late last year and introduced it this spring (Digital Transactions News, Dec. 16, 2005).
http://www.digitaltransactions.net/newsstory.cfm?newsid=1008

Zombiewire

07-08-2006, 09:20 AM

Liz McIntyre, the CASPIAN communications director and former bank examiner who co-authored Spychips, spent hours upon hours scouring the U.S. Patent Office Web site for applications that could compromise consumers' privacy.

"I stumbled on all this RFID stuff," said McIntyre, who uncovered dozens of patents by big-name companies that sent chills down her spine.

The following can be examined in their entirety at www.uspto.gov.

IBM patent pending No. 20020165758, Identification and Tracking of Persons Using RFID-tagged Items, May 2001

Shoppers' purchase records would be stored in a transaction database. When that person entered the store a reader would remotely scan an RFID tag carried by the person and identify the shopper by name, demographic or other characteristics. The person's movements could be monitored through the store, airports, train stations, restrooms, libraries and other areas. IBM's application goes on to suggest that an income bracket could additionally be inferred "if items are carried on the person are highly expensive name brands, e.g. Rolex watch." The information could be used "to provide targeted advertising."

Procter & Gamble's patent pending No. 20020161651 ,Systems and Methods for Tracking Consumers in a Store Environment, August 2001

Sensors would be affixed in store ceilings, floors, shelving and displays that would read RFID tags on both carts and individual items. The system would measure where a shopper travels in the store for how long, and what he or she picks up and whether or not a purchase results. The information could be used, the application states, "to effectively direct consumers to higher profit margin items."

Bank of America patent No. 6708176, System and Method for Interactive Advertising, March 2005

This patent (pictured) describes a system like in the movie Minority Report, in which people who come near a kiosk or other advertising venue are recognized via RFID and then show ads targeted to their interests, preferences or demographic.

Philips Electronics patent No. 6677917, Fabric Antenna for Tags, January 2004

Philips, which makes RFID chips and partnered with Benetton in an aborted clothes-tagging plan, has designed a flexible fabric tag that can be embedded into shoes and other items that are worn. The application suggests that placement in the shoe is especially helpful if the RFID "interrogator is located in a floor."

BellSouth patent-pending No. 20040133484, System and Method for Utilizing RF Tags to Collect Data Concerning Post-consumer Resources, July 2003

This phone company patent proposes a way to sort recyclables but also to examine consumers' discarded trash to determine where products or junk mail ended up. "This information may be useful to any number of entities, including retailers, manufacturers, distributors and the like," it states.

Persephone, patent application No. 2004174258, Method and Apparatus for Locating and Tracking Persons, August 2003.

This company, not a major one, lays out areas within the human body where RFID-enabled chips could be implanted in such a way that they could not be removed without surgery, such as in the uterus, gastrointestinal tract, head and deep muscles. It proposes tracking runaways and kidnapping victims this way, but it could also broadcast messages to the person or even deliver an electrical shock.--D.A.

Patent >>>>>>>>.. http://www.spychips.com/documents/patent-info.html

Zombiewire

07-19-2006, 06:19 AM

CNN) -- The virtual worlds depicted in the movies "The Matrix" and "Minority Report" can often seem far too real in today's world of computers, e-mail, instant messaging, MP3 players, cell phones, laptops, Wi-Fi and RFID.

Many of us can't get through a day without scanning, dialing or logging into a digital world so deeply embedded that living without 1s and 0s seems almost unthinkable -- and maybe impossible.

"We now live in an era where the technology is becoming mandatory instead of a choice. ...We have found ourselves tethered to our technology in a way that has really changed our lifestyle," said Larry Rosen, co-author of the book "TechnoStress: Coping with Technology @Work @Home @Play."

In 2004 the Census Bureau estimated that 62 percent of the U.S. population owned and used a cell phone. The IT consulting firm Yankee Group estimates that figure will reach about 82 percent by 2009.

About 73 percent of Americans age 18 or older use the Internet, up from 66 percent in January 2005, according to an April 2006 survey by the Pew Internet & American Life Project.

The Department of Commerce estimates e-commerce sales at $25.2 billion for the first quarter of 2006, an estimated increase of 25.6 percent from the first quarter of 2005.

"The Internet's become a mass phenomenon in this country. It really has had an impact on how people get information and stay in touch with other folks," Pew researcher John Horrigan said.

The virtual world also has given millions of people a place to express opinions and ideas they are often too afraid to voice in the real world.

"When you are sitting and communicating in the virtual world nobody sees you." Rosen said. "Tons of research shows that when you are not visible you feel more inclined to say things that you would never say face to face."

Read more >>http://www.cnn.com/2006/TECH/07/13/digital.world/index.html?section=cnn_tech

Zombiewire

07-26-2006, 06:43 AM

Privacy advocates want to limit the use of RFID to applications that will never touch the consumer without a person's consent.

Last May, Wisconsin became the first state to pass legislation restricting the use of RFID technology. The bill makes it a crime to require an individual to be implanted with an RFID tag or microchip that could be used to track their movements.

ADVERTISEMENT

That may seem like a law in search of a crime that has yet to be committed. Even privacy advocates who cheer the bill are unaware of any company or government agency that has tried to put RFID chips in their employees or citizens.

But it does highlight the kinds of privacy issues being raised about RFID.

What has privacy advocates up in arms? “RFID is a great technology for tracking pallets from point A to point B,” says Liz McIntyre, communication director for CASPIAN Consumer Advocacy, one of the organizations leading the charge to regulate RFID. “Where we draw the line is when it’s placed on individual items and cartons that consumers will interact with on the sales floor and buy.”

McIntyre’s concerns are summed up in the title of a book she co-authored: “Spychips: How Major Corporations and Government Plan to Track Your Every Move with RFID.”

“The plan is to get more granular information to track individual items. And once there’s an infrastructure and databases in place, the next step is for business and government to do something further with that information without notifying the public,” says McIntyre, adding that the government is already mining commercial data from businesses they can’t get themselves. “That’s why we need to be very proactive as consumers and tell these companies ‘no’ to item-level tagging.”

To back up her arguments, McIntyre points to patent applications from a major technology company for “a person tracking unit” that could link the purchase of a specific item to an individual. She’s also concerned by plans for smart shelves that could record how long a shopper holds an item picked up from a shelf (and maybe also read the RFID-enabled customer loyalty card in their pocket). There’s also a proposal for RFID readers that could read RFID tags on boxes and items discarded at the dump.

“Industry says they’re just putting tags on boxes that will get thrown away when you’re done with them, so there is no harm,” says McIntrye. “But when you’ve got an RFID reader at the dump, you will not be able to escape the RFID world.”

The fix, say privacy advocates, is information. They want manufacturers and retailers to clearly label the products that are tagged. They also want an “opt-in” policy that allows retailers to track products only after a consumer has opted-in and agreed to have a live RFID tag on their products.

Their concerns have gotten the attention of some state legislators. At least a dozen states, including California, Massachusetts, Nevada, Tennessee and Texas, have considered bills affecting RFID. Most of those would require manufacturers and retailers to notify consumers prior to a sale of the presence of RFID tracking devices on the products they’re buying.

While none has passed, privacy advocates like CASPIAN intend to keep the pressure on business and government. “The reason for the Bill of Rights is to control the power of government,” says McIntyre. “We have to be careful to guard our civil rights and privacy.”

http://www.mmh.com/article/CA6355949.html

Zombiewire

08-07-2006, 05:50 PM

August 07, 2006 (Computerworld) -- The flaw in Don Tennant's reasoning about implanting RFID chips in our children, presumably to keep them safe, is that the Wisconsin law he discussed does not prevent a parent from implanting a chip in a child ["Thinking the Unthinkable," Editorial, June 19]. It merely prevents someone else from forcing this to happen.

A much simpler, less mutilating tactic is to give a child a GPS cell phone.

Tennant is being driven by the drumbeat of fear. First, the chance of a child abduction is infinitesimal and most frequently is done by relatives or acquaintances.

Second, my daughters may trust my judgment, and I may trust theirs, but I would never extend that trust to mere technology or any vendors. I can't ignore the countless compromises of personal information by corporations and government agencies, or the plenitude of online con artists working to inflict financial or physical damage on those who are vulnerable or naive.

A much more sound and effective strategy is to build trusting relationships with our children and to teach them to avoid risky situations and use critical thinking skills. I know, that's easier said than done, but it is every parent's and citizen's responsibility.

To paraphrase Ben Franklin, if we are willing to sacrifice personal freedom for a little security, we deserve neither freedom nor security.
John Landis
Configuration manager
St. Louis

As a father of two teenage girls, I am with Tennant on his concerns, but I am still unnerved by the prospect of anything that comes close to electronically tagging the average, law-abiding citizen.

What I fully support, however, is the tagging of anyone who preys on the average, law-abiding citizen. They should be tracked 24/7, 365 days a year for the rest of their lives. Abduct or abuse a child, get tagged. Use a gun in a crime, get tagged. Steal from the public as an elected official, get tagged.

We need to crack down hard on the offenders in our society and create strong disincentives for potential offenders, not create more issues for those of us who behave ourselves.
John Nordin
Vice president and CIO
Insurance Auto Auctions
Westchester, Ill.

I am not a parent, but if I were, I would definitely "chip" my child. Two years ago, a microchip was the means by which my dog was returned (I know -- not the same as a child, but as close as I get just now).

My husband is a sheriff's deputy, patrolling alone in a rural jurisdiction, often 20 to 30 minutes from the nearest backup. If he missed a radio check, I'd be thrilled for his department to have the ability to locate him.

And as a veteran, I wonder whether chipping soldiers might have enabled us to find two U.S. servicemen recently kidnapped in Iraq before they were killed. Or let us identify and locate MIA service members, avalanche victims and kidnapping victims.

Crime data shows that when a child disappears, the police usually contact the perpetrator within the first few hours, the child is usually within a mile of where he disappeared, and he is usually dead within 24 hours. If chipping a child is the difference between locating him before he dies or after, then does a potential impingement on my privacy mean more?

I do not dispute the arguments against chipping, but I also recognize that those arguments are based on the fallacious notion that personal privacy still exists in the modern age. I will gladly sacrifice that illusion to allow my husband and his colleagues to deliver a living child rather than a notification to a family.
Di Brown
Technology support manager
Central Kitsap School District
Silverdale, Wash.

For every action, there is a reaction. Tennant's article focuses on the positive desired reaction. Life often has a different effect, it being complicated and involving the (irrational) decisions of others.

Would a creep be willing to cut someone open to pull out the GPS? Will a gadget be available soon to block the signal? Would the device work underground? Could a criminal clone the GPS and send people on a wild goose chase? Worse yet, could a trouble-maker use the tool to track a child?
S.G. Auge
Austin
http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=112565&source=rss_news50

Zombiewire

08-14-2006, 06:09 PM

At the airport, you use the Ticketed Departing Passengers turnstile, press your right index finger to the reader, and your RFID boarding band spits out. Luckily you've got only carry-on luggage, so you don't have to get in line to check your bags. Even now they haven't figured out a way to make that process smoother. An airline employee still must take the bags, attach RFID tags, and time-stamp them, and passengers must still acknowledge responsibility for the contents of their luggage.

Wrap your identifying band around your wrist, and you're cleared for everyplace you want to go within the airport. Face-recognition software works hand-in-hand with the RFID wristband as you make your way. No sneaky trying to change bands, either. There was a flurry of activity when this system was first introduced -- mostly flyers with nonrefundable fares trying the switcheroo with the bands after selling their tickets to someone else. Not a good idea. A highly publicized and hotly debated trial in 2008 ended with a mother of two small children being sentenced to eighteen months of home confinement.

More >>
http://www.varbusiness.com/%3bjsessionid=D0EE12C3WEBZGQSNDLQCKHSCJUNN2JVN

Zombiewire

08-14-2006, 10:27 PM

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8664070603578636034&q=rfid&hl=en

Digger Dan

08-15-2006, 06:56 AM

I say we implant chips in all bureaucrats and politicians, then give us a zapper to give them a little shock when they screw up little people--not a good idea as millions of shocks a second would do them in--on the other hand--hmmmm

Zombiewire

09-05-2006, 11:25 PM

Radio frequency identification technology will eventually be in the products you buy, the credit cards you buy them with, and the driver's license you carry while driving home from the store.
But the proliferation of RFID has raised concerns among privacy advocates who worry that consumers will be at greater risk of fraud and identity theft. State and federal lawmakers are starting to look at regulating the technology.

In July, U.S. Sen. John Cornyn of Texas co-founded the Senate RFID Caucus

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/stories/083106dnbuscornyn.2f861c9.html

Zombiewire

10-01-2006, 07:20 AM

The UK's information watchdog has warned companies using RFID to make sure they're playing nicely with data protection legislation - even if it means telling consumers how to disable the tags.

The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has published a guidance for enterprises setting out how they must deal with individuals' data when it becomes linked to RFID tags - whether they're found attached to goods in a supermarket or on smartcards such as the Oyster card.

Businesses with RFID systems in place or those thinking of deploying them should be complying with best practices, according to the ICO, as well as making sure they abide by the Data Protection Act.

The ICO counsels RFID users to beware of function creep and only collect data where necessary. "It is recommended that RFID users do not collect or store personal data if it is not necessary to do so. Keeping track of the popularity of products, for example, will not necessarily require the recording of data about specific shoppers' buying habits," it says in its guidance.

Businesses are also duty bound to inform customers where, when and how RFID tags are being used and must tell them how to remove or disable them in certain cases, such as when they are still left on clothes after a consumer has bought them.

The ICO said: "In a world of 'ubiquitous computing', security and privacy safeguards should be built into the architecture of RFID systems, rather than added on later."

http://networks.silicon.com/lans/0,39024663,39162791,00.htm

Zombiewire

10-24-2006, 07:48 PM

Release Date: October 17, 2006

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
Contact: (202) 282-8010

Fact Sheet: Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) Passport Card Technology Choice: Vicinity RFID

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), in conjunction with the Department of State’s proposed rulemaking on the new PASSport card, announced today that it proposes to expand the use of vicinity radio frequency identification (RFID) technology at U.S. ports of entry. The vicinity RFID technology, to be compatible with the PASSport card, would allow a travel document to be read from several feet as a vehicle approaches inspection. The PASSport card, part of the People Access Security Service (PASS) System, is designed to meet the specific requirements of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) for U.S. citizens crossing U.S. borders by land or sea.

WHTI is the U.S. government’s plan to implement a provision of the Intelligence Reform Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004, which requires citizens of the United States, Canada, the British Overseas Territory of Bermuda and Mexico to have a passport or other designated document that establishes the bearer’s identity and nationality to enter or re-enter the United States. The proposal to expand the use of vicinity RFID technology is another step in the U.S. government’s layered plan to enhance our nation’s security, ensure the integrity of our immigration system, facilitate the flow of legitimate travel and trade, and protect the privacy of our citizens and visitors.

“Vicinity RFID technology will be a force multiplier for our U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers by providing them with up-front information they need to quickly make critical decisions about travelers entering or re-entering the United States,” said CBP Commissioner Ralph Basham. “The deployment of this advanced technological solution will improve public safety, national security and the integrity of the immigration process.”

Vicinity RFID technology leverages DHS’ successful experience with currently installed reader technology used in the FAST, NEXUS and SENTRI trusted traveler programs. These trusted traveler programs have more than a quarter of a million participants. In addition, through an ongoing test at land borders, US-VISIT has issued more than 459,000 radio frequency- enabled I-94, the standard arrival and departure record issued at ports of entry.

To protect the privacy of Americans who opt to use the PASSport card, no personal information will be stored or transmitted on the RFID chip on the card. The technology will transmit only a number between the card and the reader which will be matched against a DHS database. While no personally identifiable information will be transmitted, DHS is taking steps to help ensure that this number cannot be intercepted during transmission to an authorized reader at a port of entry.

Vicinity RFID, which is also used successfully in highway toll systems across the United States, demands little of the traveler and can read multiple cards simultaneously inside a vehicle. The vicinity RFID technology will increase the security of the border while facilitating commerce at the port of entry.

The proposed regulations of the PASSport card, a card-format passport compatible with this RFID technology have been published by the Department of State in the Federal Register. The proposed PASSport card will be credit-card sized and valid for use only at land and sea borders.

The proposed PASSport card would serve as an alternative to a traditional passport book for use by U.S. citizens who cross the land borders and travel on cruises to Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. Frequent border crossers would benefit most readily from this new limited-use PASSport card. It would provide evidence of identity and citizenship, would be convenient to carry and would cost less than the traditional passport book. U.S. citizens would be able to apply for the PASSport card using the same forms and procedures as currently exist for the passport book.

The proposed regulations on the PASSport card are available for public viewing and comment at www.regulations.gov for a 60 day comment period. For more information, visit www.dhs.gov or www.travel.state.gov.
http://www.dhs.gov/xnews/releases/pr_1161114866740.shtm

Zombiewire

11-05-2006, 06:29 AM

If the Colorado Legislature does nothing but implement the REAL ID Act, as the federal government demands, then after May 2008, all Colorado driver’s license holders will have to be “re-enrolled” under as-of-yet unknown regulations decided by the federal Department of Homeland Security. As a result, Colorado lawmakers (and thus Coloradoans) will have little or no say as to how driver’s licenses are issued, what information will be attached to the license or who will have access to that information.

Rather than making the case for a federal takeover of state driver’s license issuance, Republicans attached REAL ID to an unrelated emergency spending bill for combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, and for Tsunami relief, thus ensuring both passage and the President’s signature in 2005.

REAL ID was marketed as a tool against terrorist travel and illegal immigration, but with even the slightest scrutiny, these arguments fall apart.

Last year, a Rocky Mountain News editorial quoted a spokesman for the U.S. House Judiciary Committee rationalizing REAL ID: “Eighteen of the 19 (Sept. 11) hijackers could’ve used their passports, but chose instead to use state-issued ID and driver’s licenses, and it allowed them to get on the planes without detection.” So terrorists who don’t have U.S. driver’s licenses can simply board a plane with a passport. As the News correctly asked, “So how exactly would this misguided law have stopped them?” The short answer is it wouldn’t have.

Earlier this year, the Colorado General Assembly passed a state law denying certain state services to undocumented immigrants. In the first month after the law went into effect, the Colorado Division of Motor Vehicles caught over a thousand illegal immigrants trying to pass fake documents to obtain a driver’s license.

In other words, a state law intended to affect only those already violating the law has accomplished most of what REAL ID claims to do … without a massive federal mandate making every Colorado license holder and applicant into a suspected terrorist or illegal alien.

A recent report jointly released by the National Governor’s Association, National Conference of State Legislators and American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators estimates that implementation of REAL ID will cost states over $11 billion.

Since Congress cannot legislate that states implement federal regulatory programs, REAL ID instead will deny anyone who does not carry a REAL ID compliant license after 2008 the ability to board a plane, open a bank account, or any other service or activity the federal government claims jurisdiction over.

As Jim Harper, director of information policy studies at the Washington D.C.-based Cato Institute notes: “If Congress wants every American to carry a national ID, Congress should vote for it openly, pay for it directly, and answer to voters itself. It should not slough its national ID policies onto the states.”

The Colorado Legislature could help force Congress to do its own dirty work by refusing to implement REAL ID.

http://www.thedenverdailynews.com/?page=details&id=5137&t=Archive

large

11-06-2006, 08:10 AM

Nothing wrong with either a Passport or Driver's license implant . . make 'em a little harder to counterfeit . .

James, there ARE places that RFIDS will work admirably . . and probably before that technology is much farther down the road, the size of the IC will probably be almost microscopic in the case of the "Passive" ones and "Pinhead" size for the ones that have an ability to transmit . .

And as I've said many times before . . What is it that you want to hide . . that the Database Centers don't already know about? There's very little that even well placed RFIDs can tell those people, that aren't known now . .

IF . . you have a phone, a bank account and a couple of credit cards, and a connection into the internet . . There's more knowledge available to the public about you than probably even you, yourself, know about yourself!

Zombiewire

11-06-2006, 09:04 AM

I with you on that Mr Large. Hey where can I find some of your art work online? James

Nothing wrong with either a Passport or Driver's license implant . . make 'em a little harder to counterfeit . .

James, there ARE places that RFIDS will work admirably . . and probably before that technology is much farther down the road, the size of the IC will probably be almost microscopic in the case of the "Passive" ones and "Pinhead" size for the ones that have an ability to transmit . .

And as I've said many times before . . What is it that you want to hide . . that the Database Centers don't already know about? There's very little that even well placed RFIDs can tell those people, that aren't known now . .

IF . . you have a phone, a bank account and a couple of credit cards, and a connection into the internet . . There's more knowledge available to the public about you than probably even you, yourself, know about yourself!

large

11-06-2006, 12:57 PM

Hmmm, don't think you can . . although you might look at the Sangre de Cristo Arts and Conference Center's site . . the globes on the Buell Children's Museum are my work . .

Some of it will be on display and for sale at the Pueblo Bank & Trust's Christmas Art Show on Dec. 1. I am flattered that they would invite me to participate . .

I don't have a Web site, never saw any need for one . .

Gabbey10

11-30-2006, 05:52 PM

i was reading about these tags and im pretty aware about what its going to lead to. and its a bad thing. in the bible it states about this "chip" in the end times about how the government is going to force everyone to get this thing implanted in them to recieve things. and basically control everyone.all your info will be on this chip. not really sure if this is the same path that the RFID is but any christan would know that getting a "chip' implanted in them is just wrong.

Zombiewire

12-07-2006, 06:18 PM

Remember Wifo and RFID are inbed together

Mom and Pop wireless ISPs stick it to the carriers
First off, my apologies for the long silence here. It's been death march time for Pikesoft's biggest client which means lots of 10- to 11-hour days plus Saturdays as we start a rolling beta cycle that will end in a release to literally tens of thousands consultants. The first beta is to a much smaller group, but politically it's hugely important and it's been hard for me to think about anything else, much less blog about it. Finally, the CDs are being burned and I'm looking around to see what I've missed during the last two weeks (aside from sleep and days off).

Lots. But let's start with this little item. My good friend Jeff Duntemann (maybe best known for his classic primer on assembly language and a best-selling book on Wi-Fi) stumbled across a telling development in wide-area broadband wireless that's taking place in the small city of Pueblo, Colorado, just 45 minutes south of us. There, in a booth at the Colorado State Fair was the CEO of Airinet, a local ISP that is rolling out a Wi-Fi mesh network big enough to cover pretty much the entire city of Pueblo, with a population of a little over 100,000. These guys have come up with a tiny, super-cheap Wireless-B mesh node and a router system that they claim is efficient enough to deliver 1.5MB download and 1MB upload to clients that are as many as 8 hops (!) from a backhaul point. No towers for neighbors to complain about: they negotiate with homeowners to stick the unobtrusive repeaters under their eaves. No hardware to install to get service: it's 802.11b that any PC, PDA or Wi-Fi-enabled mobile phone can connect to indoors or out. No long term contract: unlimited access is a flat $25 month to month. Also never an insecure connection: the channel is encrypted with a 2,048-bit key. Best of all, no walled garden! Just a nice big pipe to the Internet anywhere you go in the city.

Mesh networks aren't terribly new. As Jeff points out, they have been used to unwire college campuses and for the odd municipal wireless project--mostly non-commercial stuff. Google is using a mesh architecture to deliver Wi-Fi throughout its hometown of Mountain View. But these are not Google engineers and this is not Silicon Valley. This is a mom-and-pop ISP in a small, blue-collar city with a median household income of about $30,000. If Airinet can make money today with a mesh Wi-Fi cloud over a city like Pueblo it raises some interesting questions:

WiMax, the technology that was supposed to make this kind of thing possible is still by most accounts some years away for most of the US, so if mesh networks are low cost and ready for prime-time, will they steal the WiMax thunder?
If a little company like Airinet can do this are we headed for another era of garage-ISPs, this time hawking ubiquitous wireless connectivity?
If small commercial wireless meshes can make money with unlimited broadband at $25/mo, how long will the cellular wireless carriers be able to sell slower connections to walled gardens at two or three times the price?

Like a lot of mobile developers I'm fed up with the carriers. It's a bad business model when you need to sell through a channel instead of direct to the customer, especially when the channel has the controlling mentality that the network operators have today. If they get their way the era when users can buy shareware off your web site and install it on their phone will soon come to an end. Native apps will have to be approved and digitally signed by the carriers themselves, will only be available from within their walled garden portals, and will return little of the purchase price to the developer. If they succeed, mobile innovation will lag far behind the Internet speed of Web 2.0 and mobile developers will move on to greener pastures. But if small companies like Airinet can do an end-run around the wireless oligopoly things could play out quite differently. The carriers aren't going away--mesh networks won't offer nationwide roaming any time soon and the VoIP story is unclear. But for local wireless data the carriers won't be the only game in town and this could shift the competitive landscape in a direction that opens some nice opportunities for mobilists like us.http://www.pikesoft.com/blog/index.php?itemid=111#nucleus_cf

Zombiewire

01-11-2007, 07:10 AM

Are you ready for some RFID taking over the barcode? If not get ready by informing others as well. This is a must watch

Alarm over shopping radio tags >>
http://news.bbc.co.uk/nolavconsole/ifs_news/hi/nb_wm_fs.stm?news=1&nbram=1&nbwm=1&bbram=1&bbwm=1&nol_storyid=4890114&checkedBandwidth=nb&checkedMedia=asx&subtitles=hide&alreadySeen=1

Zombiewire

02-11-2007, 08:33 AM

SAN JOSE, Calif. — When a new billboard in San Francisco scrolls the message “Motor On Vera!” it’s a good bet that someone named Vera is driving her Mini Cooper at that moment.

Or that her car is nicknamed Vera.

A billboard using Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology started “talking” last week. In a new twist on tech-savvy marketing, the board flashes a personalized message as the driver cruises by with a Mini-provided key fob that sends a signal to activate the billboard. It’s all part of the flippant, quirky attitude of Mini and its loyal following.

“Our owners are sort of pre-trend,” said Andrew Cutler, a spokesman for Mini USA. “They appreciate new and innovative things, and being on the cutting edge of whatever point of view.”

Mini, the BMW-owned maker of small cars, has marketed itself since its 2003 arrival as something of an in-joke, a tongue-in-cheek, we-get-it-and-don’t-care-if-you-don’t automotive brand. It has been a huge success, selling 40,000 cars a year, when many thought Americans didn’t want or like small cars, and certainly wouldn’t pay $18,000 to $26,000 for them. The second-generation Mini goes on sale next month.

“Consumers have come to expect Mini advertising to be groundbreaking, edgy and entertaining, and from the sounds of their latest endeavor, talking billboards, we won’t be disappointed,” said Lilly Buchwitz, an assistant professor of advertising at San Jose State University.

Now, a billboard near an exit off I-80 in San Francisco speaks to them.

The pilot program is being conducted in four cities, including San Francisco, New York, Chicago and Miami. About 4,500 Mini owners who lived in or near those cities and who were active in Mini chat rooms were invited to participate.

They filled out information on a Web site, including their name, their car’s nickname, their profession and details about how they drive. Mini will send them an electronic key fob, which the company calls a Mini motorboard, that works within 500 feet of the billboard.

Once they’re in range, personalized messages using their name (“Hi Kate, Nice Day For Your Convertible”) or their career (“Moving At The Speed of Justice!” for a lawyer) will appear.

Cutler said about one-third of Mini owners name their car, with Coop, Spike and Sparky among the popular monikers.

The billboards will stay up for a year, and Mini will evaluate how they’re being used and whether it should expand the program. In the future, Cutler said, Mini dealers might use RFID technology to welcome customers to service appointments or to let them know of events when they are near a showroom.

Greg Martin, who owns a 2006 Mini Cooper, likes the talking billboard concept.

“A lot of Mini’s marketing is centered around the feeling that you’re unique, that you are in a club. This ties in perfectly,” said Martin, 41, who works for a semiconductor company in San Jose.

RFID technology — which uses a transponder to relay information to a reader device — is found on everything from bridge toll tags to Shiseido makeup counters in Japan to self-checkout kiosks at libraries.

WhereNet, a Santa Clara, Calif., company, sells its RFID technology to companies such as Nissan so they can better track the delivery of parts at assembly plants as well as the delivery of vehicles to dealers.

Talking billboards aren’t a completely new concept. In 2006, Honda touted its boxy Element SUV on billboards with weird queries (“How is a Honda Element like a platypus?”) and directions to tune to an AM radio frequency.

“Traditional mass-media advertising has always talked ‘at’ consumers,” said Buchwitz, who co-wrote a marketing textbook that gave prominent play to Mini’s launch. “Mini’s talking billboards are going to change that paradigm by talking ‘to’ consumers.”

“A lot of Mini’s marketing is centered around the feeling that you’re unique, that you are in a club. This ties in perfectly.”

Greg Martin

“A lot of Mini’s marketing is centered around the feeling that you’re unique, that you are in a club. This ties in perfectly.”

Greg Martin

http://www.projo.com/projocars/content/ca_minibillboards_02-03-07_QH46044.559a77.html

Lexi

02-11-2007, 10:57 AM

*wonders if they sell those cars at Wallies so I can run right on out and get me one...*

Zombiewire

02-13-2007, 08:44 AM

*wonders if they sell those cars at Wallies so I can run right on out and get me one...*
I don't know if Walmart sells those cars. I don't shop at "China are us" but hey if you want one. I am sure all you have to do is Yahoo and there you go. Good luck with you new ride.

large

02-13-2007, 09:26 AM

I don't know if Walmart sells those cars. I don't shop at "China are us" but hey if you want one.

James, what is it about Wal mart that you hate? level with us here . . because it certainly can't be the marketing of objects made in China . .

Home Depot actually sells more Items made in China, as well as does Lowes, Best Buy, Comp USA, Circuit City, Checker-Schucks-Kragen, Auto Zone and most other National Department and Specialty stores . . China is the big Kid on the block currently, and there's little you can buy that isn't made in China . . and there will be even less in the future . .

Get over it . . .

Wal Mart's Non Union stance bother you? Human Resources policies? Look at it this way . . become the world's largest department store, become one of the largest employers, save the consumers who shop in your store $1200 a year, and see if you don't have a few employee problems . .

I'd bet, in your Fencing business, you occasionally have employee problems . . and I know for a fact, ONE Wal Mart has more people on cash registers on one shift than you employ . . Not a cheap shot, just an observation . .

Zombiewire

02-14-2007, 09:00 AM

I believe that a business or individual should never have all their eggs in one basket. A city / town are a business which thrives on the local small businesses. If one of those businesses happens to fault this would not hamper the structure of the town. So when you bring in a Wal-Mart to town to provide every product the consumer requires for fewer prices, consequently the main structure (small business) of the town may go out of business. This would give a Wal-Mart power over the town. When Wal-Mart marches in a town they demand free land, no taxes for ten years then they take the small business down. So Mr. Largent, this one of the reason I will not shop at Wall Mart. On top of that Wal-Mart sells crap.

large

02-14-2007, 11:27 AM

Hmmm, On top of that Wal-Mart sells crap. Ahhh, but then so does King Soopers, Safeway, Home Depot, Walgreen's and Toys R Us . .

Why? Because they all sell the same products . . from the same manufacturers . . You might note . . nowhere on a product bought in a Wal Mart (or a K Mart for that matter) are the words or codes saying "To be sold by Wal Mart only" . . so the fact that Wal Mart sells sub-standard products is "Crap' . . An iPod, a Snickers bar, or a can of Bush's Baked Beans will be the same, whether you purchase them at a Safeway, the corner EZ Swipe or the South side Wal Mart . .

And locally owned stores can exist where Wal Marts (or Lowes, Home Depots, or Walgreen's) exist . . You have to find a niche though . . you can't compete with Wal Mart, no more than the corner Mom n' Pop could compete with either Safeway or Loaf n' Jug . .

if you sell premium products, or specialize in specific lines of a commodity or product, you will do well . . In Pueblo, one of the success stories is Ashley's Hardware . . They have a full stock of items, always, and have people there that can answer your questions and help you find what you're looking for . . and in spite of Lowes, Wal Mart, Home Depot, and several other home supply venues in the area . . they thrive . .

Sam's Flooring, another place to buy all your flooring materials . . They're no more expensive, have a great stock of flooring materials and won't stonewall you like either Home Depot or Lowes does when you want something they don't have in stock . .

If you choose to compete with any of the large corporate owned chains, good luck, you're gonna be beating your head on a hard rock . . and often the biggest reason a Wal Mart or Home Depot opens up in a town, is because the locals aren't serving the needs of the community . .

lilspooky

03-02-2007, 02:30 AM

I'm doing a research question on the follow topic: If Walmart or any other local retailers were to incorporate RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) into their merchandise how your city and its local populace react (privacy issues, religious perception, viruses, etc...)?

I just wanted to get your guys opinions on what exactly is the big deal (all the controversy) surrounding retailer adoption of RFID in their in-store merchandise that might give the average consumer a reason to pause.

Zombiewire

03-02-2007, 08:37 AM

The chip will replace the bar code. Once that happens every item you have on you can be read. A RFID reader can identify your buying habits thus you’re your demographics and psycho graphics. There and many people in this world who do find this infringing on their privacy. I know this as a fact because I get emails daily from the world wide point of view. These people do not want this chip but are as we are powerless against big business.
Know that the RFID and Wifi are embedding together. When you are walking down the street and a reader reads your chip it can be channeled to what is called the Internet of Things. Just as you search for key terms to find information on the web so can be found on the internet of things?

You can get all your research questions answered at a web site I have set up named ZombieWire. I have about three years of achieves on RFID. I read the RFID industrial news and when I come across a news story that I find that has privacy issues involved, I will list the news and direct that news to the consumer.

As far as religious perception, take a look at some or the RFID manufactures’ logo. They speak for them selves.

I'm doing a research question on the follow topic: If Walmart or any other local retailers were to incorporate RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) into their merchandise how your city and its local populace react (privacy issues, religious perception, viruses, etc...)?

I just wanted to get your guys opinions on what exactly is the big deal (all the controversy) surrounding retailer adoption of RFID in their in-store merchandise that might give the average consumer a reason to pause.

Zombiewire

03-17-2007, 09:02 AM

If Walmart ever gets a bank then get ready to get a chip implant your self RFID chipped.

----------------------------------------------------------------------
COMPANY PUSHES RFID IMPLANTS FOR IMMIGRANTS, GUEST WORKERS

By Liz McIntyre & Katherine Albrecht

Scott Silverman, Chairman of the Board of VeriChip Corporation, has alarmed civil libertarians by promoting the company's subcutaneous human tracking device as a way to identify immigrants and guest workers. He appeared on the Fox News Channel earlier this week, the morning after President Bush called for high-tech measures to clamp down on Mexican immigrants.

Privacy advocates Katherine Albrecht and Liz McIntyre are warning that a government-sanctioned chipping program such as that suggested by Silverman could quickly be expanded to include U.S. citizens, as well.

The VeriChip is a glass encapsulated Radio Frequency Identification tag that is injected into the flesh to uniquely number and identify people. The tag can be read silently and invisibly by radio waves from up to a foot or more away, right through clothing. The highly controversial device is also being marketed as a way to access secure areas, link to medical records, and serve as a payment device when associated with a credit card.

"Makers of VeriChip have been planning for this day. They've lost millions of dollars trying to sell their invasive product to North America, and now they see an opportunity in the desperation of the people of Latin America," Albrecht observes.

VeriChip's Silverman bandied about the idea of chipping foreigners on national television Tuesday, emboldened by the Bush Administration call to know "who is in our country and why they are here." He told Fox & Friends that the VeriChip could be used to register guest workers, verify their identities as they cross the border, and "be used for enforcement purposes at the employer level." He added, "We have talked to many people in Washington about using it...."

Silverman is reportedly also planning to share his vision on CNBC's Squawk Box if a slot opens up tomorrow (Friday) morning sometime between 6 and 9 AM Eastern Time. He was originally scheduled to appear on the show this morning, but technical problems at the Florida studio prevented his appearance.

The numbering and chipping of people seems like a plot from a dystopian novel, but the company has gotten the buy-in from highly placed current and former government officials, including Columbian President Alvaro Uribe. He reportedly told Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA) that he would consider having microchips implanted into Colombian workers before they are permitted to enter the United States to work on a seasonal basis.

"The mantra 'chip the foreigners' has little appeal once people realize the company wants to stamp its 'electronic tattoo' into every one of us," cautions McIntyre. "Electronically branding and tracking visitors like cattle is VeriChip's excuse to get the government on board. But if that happens, we'll all be in their sights."

Tommy Thompson, former Secretary of Health and Human Services joined the board of VeriChip Corporation after leaving his Bush administration cabinet post. Shortly thereafter, he went on national television recommending that all Americans get chipped as a way to link to their medical records. He also suggested the VeriChip could replace military dog tags, and a spokesman boasted that the company had been in talks with the Pentagon.

Privacy advocates warn that once people are numbered with a remotely readable RFID tag like the VeriChip, they can be tracked. Once they can be tracked, they can be monitored and controlled.

Albrecht and McIntyre, the authors of "Spychips: How Major Corporations and Government Plan to Track Your Every Move with RFID" believe the world's people will stand firm against chipping. "Our country was founded on principles of freedom and liberty. We're betting that the American people will see the end game and buck VeriChip's attempts," said Albrecht. "We also believe the people of Latin America will rise up in opposition once they read our book."

The Spanish language version of "Spychips" will be hitting shelves across Latin America next month.

© 2006 - Liz McIntyre - All Rights Reserved

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E-Mails are used strictly for NWVs alerts, not for sale

Liz McIntyre is a consumer privacy expert and author of Spychips: How Major Corporations and Government Plan to Track your Every Move with RFID. In this explosive book, McIntyre and co-author Katherine Albrecht reveal how organizations like Procter & Gamble, Gillette, Wal-Mart, and even the U.S. Postal Service plan to use tiny computer chips smaller than a grain of sand to track everyday objects-and even people-keeping tabs on everything you own and everywhere you go.

Katherine Albrecht is a privacy advocate and co-author of Spychips: How Major Corporations and Government Plan to Track your Every Move with RFID. Albrecht has testified on RFID technology before the Federal Trade Commission, the California state legislature, the European Commission, and the Federal Reserve Bank, and she has given over a thousand television, radio and print interviews to news outlets all over the world. Her efforts have been featured on CNN, NPR, the CBS Evening News, Business Week, and the London Times, to name just a few.

http://www.newswithviews.com/McIntyre/Liz5.htm

Gither

03-20-2007, 11:17 AM

I have also been reserching RFID, and I would like to know more.All I know is of corse what the book spychips has been able to inform me of, about RFID Tech and I havent been able to read it all, but I have been to websites of all kinds. And like I said I don't know much, but what I do know is wether we the cusumer could do anything about it or not, its going to happen! There is no way to stop it. You can delay it but eventualy it will happen. so then what do we do if some of us don't whant this to happen? How can we stop this?
We can't. Ok so what do we do? We stay informed! information is the most powerfull tool we have today.With information people can ether save thousands of lives, or distroy whole civilizations. But companys like Wal-mart, P&G, Gillette, and IBM Cant be bad. So what if they put RFID tags on everything we buy,so what if they know ware I shop,ware I work,or live.so what if the government knows things about me.I'm not a criminal, I have nothing to worry about right? I'm shure that a lot of people thought "I'm not a criminal" as they were being arrested, placed in ghettos, put on trains,imprisoned in death camps,worked to death, and executed, just cause they were jewish. they had comitted no crimes, only that they were jewish.
Oh but these are American companys, they are not nazis ,they wouldint do anything like that, or help anyone who would do so. would they?Only after the Jews were identified -- a massive and complex task that Hitler wanted done immediately -- could they be targeted for efficient asset confiscation, ghettoization, deportation, enslaved labor, and, ultimately, annihilation. It was a cross-tabulation and organizational challenge so monumental, it called for a computer. Of course, in the 1930s no computer existed.
But IBM's Hollerith punch card technology did exist. Aided by the company's custom-designed and constantly updated Hollerith systems, Hitler was able to automate his persecution of the Jews. Historians have always been amazed at the speed and accuracy with which the Nazis were able to identify and locate European Jewry. Until now, the pieces of this puzzle have never been fully assembled. The fact is, IBM technology was used to organize nearly everything in Germany and then Nazi Europe, from the identification of the Jews in censuses, registrations, and ancestral tracing programs to the running of railroads and organizing of concentration camp slave labor. IBM and its German subsidiary custom-designed complex solutions, one by one, anticipating the Reich's needs. They did not merely sell the machines and walk away. Instead, IBM leased these machines for high fees and became the sole source of the billions of punch cards Hitler needed.
Only with IBM's technologic assistance was Hitler able to achieve the staggering numbers of the Holocaust.So if this could be done with Punch-card tech, think what they could do with RFID
Thankyou