| You have heard of RFID tags, right? It is technology | | | | could be crying out: 'He bought me from Wal-Mart'. It |
| that is in most ID cards so that management or | | | | could also be saying: 'I only cost 4.99'. |
| security knows whether employees are in the building | | | | If you do not see that as a problem, all well and good, |
| or not? Well they are being put in much more than ID | | | | but what if you are walking down the high street and a |
| cards these days. | | | | loud speaker from a shop shouts at you: 'People who |
| They are being put into the clothing of a lot of retail | | | | buy their shirts from Wal-Mart usually love Wimpey |
| stores and even behind the labels on some tin cans. | | | | Burgers!'. |
| The situation is sure to proliferate. | | | | You may think that that is a twist of fate or you may |
| They are the new generation of bar codes, but unlike | | | | have forgotten that you bought that shirt from |
| bar codes, they can talk back and they can be so | | | | Wal-Mart, but the tag sewn into your shirt will never |
| minute that you do not even know that you are | | | | forget and it will tell every RFID reader that asks it. Is |
| wearing one. I say 'wearing one' because at the | | | | that fair? You have now become a walking advert. |
| moment they are mostly being put into garments, but | | | | Of course, RFID tags were not introduced for this |
| the day is not far away when they will be under every | | | | reason. They are used purportedly to help track |
| label of every can of food that you purchase. | | | | merchandise from manufacturer to consumer - point |
| Some stores have even got that far already. Look | | | | out. They are very useful for tracking stock in a |
| next time you visit the superstore. Is the check-out | | | | warehouse, but the fact is that these live beacons of |
| operative scanning a bar code or just scanning | | | | their provenance are not switched off at the point of |
| 'something'? If there is no bar code to scan, they are | | | | sale. If they were, perhaps there would not be such a |
| looking for the RFID tag. | | | | problem being raised about them. |
| However, if you had a bar code on your new shirt, you | | | | Is there a reason to be concerned about these tags? |
| would take it off before wearing it, but an RFID tag is | | | | Probably not, but then that does not mean that there |
| so tiny and so well hidden, that you may never find it. | | | | never will be. What if you were on vacation |
| Why would that matter, you may be asking yourself? | | | | somewhere and there was a smart bomb connected |
| Well, we are told that it does not matter; that people | | | | to an RFID scanner concealed waiting for an |
| who do worry are just being unreasonable, but others | | | | American and your shirt was screaming out: 'I am a |
| see it as the thin edge of the wedge. | | | | shirt. I was bought for 4.99 at Wal-Mart, store ID 0001, |
| You see, in a city, you are never that far from an RFID | | | | New York, USA'? |
| scanner, so potentially, if you walk past one, your shirt | | | | |