SparklingWaves
Well-known member
This is an article titled "When are "spychips" okay?" It was in First Magazine, 11/12/07 issue.
The technology is called radiofrequency identification (RFID), and here's how it words: Each tiny "spychip" is assigned a unique number. When the chip passes an RFID detector, it wirelessly emits the number, but it can yield much more than a string of numbers. In a supermarket savings card, sensors can pick up a chip's signal the moment a shopper enters the store. The store can then instantly cross-reference the chip's serial number with an ever-growing dossier on that person --including the shopper's location and purchasing history.
This individual tracking worries many privacy advocates. A watchdog group in England recently discovered that Gillette tagged thousands of razor packages with RFID chips. When consumers picked up the tagged packages at stores, the chips' movement triggered hidden cameras to snap photos of shopper's faces. This secret surveillance program may have already hit the U.S.
Still, RFID tech. has its supports. At some amusement parks, chip-embedded bracelets linked to credit cards allow visitors to pay for rids & refreshments with a wave of the wrist. And as part of of its homeland security efforts, this year the US Department State began inserting RFID chips in passports, enabling officials to instantly verify a passports holder's name and nationality.
Exactly how much privacy will people give up in the name of convenience & security?
1) To help track a Lost Pet
87% says it's alright
Example: Last spring the North family of Grant, Michigan, received some astonishing news: Their beloved pet beagle, Dillon, who had run away from home two and a half years earlier, had been located by workers at an animal shelter over 20 miles away. The dog's saving grave: an RFID microchip implanted in the skin between his shoulder blades and his back. Once rescuers scanned the chip, they learned the identity of the dog and were able to find his owners.
Pro - "we take our pets to the veterinarians for shots to prevent disease, so why shouldn't we prevent their disappearance with this tiny painless device? So many of our animal companions end up in shelters--or worse--after running away from home. This tech. can save us the heartache of losing our pets too soon." --Barbara,47, Fairfax, VA
Con - "A pet-tracking microchip is a great idea in theory, but think about this: An owner's personal information is linked to it! I'd worry that someone would find or even steal my dog and somehow steal my identity by scanning the chip." --Eva, 35, Kansas City, MO
2) To monitor potentially violent Exes
63 % say it's alright
According to the US Department of Justice, roughly 2 million restraining orders are filed annually primarily by women concerned about a stalker or a disgruntled ex. Now a New York State Assembly bill would require anyone served with a restraining order to wear an RFID tracking device (such as an ankle bracelet) -- and face an immediate felony conviction if caught tampering with it. Some say the spychip-embedded devices would improve protection of abuse victims, but others argue that mandatory RFID bracelets would be a violation of civil liberties since a person can be slapped with a restraining order without being convicted of a crime.
Pro- "Too many women & children are battered every day by violent men. I say to hell with the abusers' civil liberties! Police need to track these brutes and stop them before they strike again."--Brigid, 24, Raleigh, NC
Con-"The same RDIF tech. that IDs a violent predator may be come a tool that stalkers use to follow victims. The chips are a boon to criminals since anyone with a proper reader could figure out how to download a person's private information." --Robin, 40, Hamilton, MT
3) To create personalized bargains
55% say it's alright
Deal hunters in Seattle are signing up for a new advertising program called Omni. After answering a survey regarding their likes & dislikes, participants receive an RFID key fob that interacts with overhead sensors positioned throughout the city. As shoppers go from place to place, public audio announcements and cell-phone text messages address them by name and serve up targeted deals. For example, a coffee drinker might be offered a free latte a the nearest Starbucks.
Pro - "Imagine the Wal-Mart of the future: Your 'smart cart' compliments you on the blouse you bought last month. It suggest you grab some milk because you purchased your last gallon a week ago, then tells you that your favorite brad of shoes is on sale. Soon we'll wonder how we lived without RFID tech!"--Marlene, 38, Cumberland, WI
Con-"Right now you can buy a pair of jeans or a bottle of shampoo with complete anonymity. With RFID tags, everything you own will numbered, identified, cataloged, and tracked. Personal privacy? Gone in a hailstorm of invisible communication. You'll be betrayed by your own property!--Joyce, 29, Palm Bay, Fl
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Important Note: Microchips were also discussed in the Real ID thread
The technology is called radiofrequency identification (RFID), and here's how it words: Each tiny "spychip" is assigned a unique number. When the chip passes an RFID detector, it wirelessly emits the number, but it can yield much more than a string of numbers. In a supermarket savings card, sensors can pick up a chip's signal the moment a shopper enters the store. The store can then instantly cross-reference the chip's serial number with an ever-growing dossier on that person --including the shopper's location and purchasing history.
This individual tracking worries many privacy advocates. A watchdog group in England recently discovered that Gillette tagged thousands of razor packages with RFID chips. When consumers picked up the tagged packages at stores, the chips' movement triggered hidden cameras to snap photos of shopper's faces. This secret surveillance program may have already hit the U.S.
Still, RFID tech. has its supports. At some amusement parks, chip-embedded bracelets linked to credit cards allow visitors to pay for rids & refreshments with a wave of the wrist. And as part of of its homeland security efforts, this year the US Department State began inserting RFID chips in passports, enabling officials to instantly verify a passports holder's name and nationality.
Exactly how much privacy will people give up in the name of convenience & security?
Other uses:
1) To help track a Lost Pet
87% says it's alright
Example: Last spring the North family of Grant, Michigan, received some astonishing news: Their beloved pet beagle, Dillon, who had run away from home two and a half years earlier, had been located by workers at an animal shelter over 20 miles away. The dog's saving grave: an RFID microchip implanted in the skin between his shoulder blades and his back. Once rescuers scanned the chip, they learned the identity of the dog and were able to find his owners.
Pro - "we take our pets to the veterinarians for shots to prevent disease, so why shouldn't we prevent their disappearance with this tiny painless device? So many of our animal companions end up in shelters--or worse--after running away from home. This tech. can save us the heartache of losing our pets too soon." --Barbara,47, Fairfax, VA
Con - "A pet-tracking microchip is a great idea in theory, but think about this: An owner's personal information is linked to it! I'd worry that someone would find or even steal my dog and somehow steal my identity by scanning the chip." --Eva, 35, Kansas City, MO
2) To monitor potentially violent Exes
63 % say it's alright
According to the US Department of Justice, roughly 2 million restraining orders are filed annually primarily by women concerned about a stalker or a disgruntled ex. Now a New York State Assembly bill would require anyone served with a restraining order to wear an RFID tracking device (such as an ankle bracelet) -- and face an immediate felony conviction if caught tampering with it. Some say the spychip-embedded devices would improve protection of abuse victims, but others argue that mandatory RFID bracelets would be a violation of civil liberties since a person can be slapped with a restraining order without being convicted of a crime.
Pro- "Too many women & children are battered every day by violent men. I say to hell with the abusers' civil liberties! Police need to track these brutes and stop them before they strike again."--Brigid, 24, Raleigh, NC
Con-"The same RDIF tech. that IDs a violent predator may be come a tool that stalkers use to follow victims. The chips are a boon to criminals since anyone with a proper reader could figure out how to download a person's private information." --Robin, 40, Hamilton, MT
3) To create personalized bargains
55% say it's alright
Deal hunters in Seattle are signing up for a new advertising program called Omni. After answering a survey regarding their likes & dislikes, participants receive an RFID key fob that interacts with overhead sensors positioned throughout the city. As shoppers go from place to place, public audio announcements and cell-phone text messages address them by name and serve up targeted deals. For example, a coffee drinker might be offered a free latte a the nearest Starbucks.
Pro - "Imagine the Wal-Mart of the future: Your 'smart cart' compliments you on the blouse you bought last month. It suggest you grab some milk because you purchased your last gallon a week ago, then tells you that your favorite brad of shoes is on sale. Soon we'll wonder how we lived without RFID tech!"--Marlene, 38, Cumberland, WI
Con-"Right now you can buy a pair of jeans or a bottle of shampoo with complete anonymity. With RFID tags, everything you own will numbered, identified, cataloged, and tracked. Personal privacy? Gone in a hailstorm of invisible communication. You'll be betrayed by your own property!--Joyce, 29, Palm Bay, Fl
--------
Important Note: Microchips were also discussed in the Real ID thread
