RFID Tags For The Rich 399
Greedo writes "While reading this piece about designing 'experiences' in the Globe and Mail, I came across this interesting tidbit: If you're a frequent Prada shopper (and who on /. isn't?), the loyalty card in your wallet or purse contains a RFID tag that announces your arrival in the store. When you encounter a saleswoman, her handheld computer brings up your tastes, buying history, vital statistics and personalized suggestions from in-stock and coming inventory; the handhelds also place orders and book change rooms. Every item for sale bears an RFID tag. The RFID tags are courtesy of IDEO, and their website has a nice write-up of all the RFID-powered stuff at Prada, including the changeroom! I'm guessing this isn't coming to Wal*Mart's changerooms when they implement RFID. (Another write-up can be found here.)"
Messing with thier system (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Messing with thier system (Score:5, Interesting)
Would be fun to see tons of snooty sales people running up to a guy dressed like a bum...
Re:Messing with thier system (Score:5, Informative)
S
Re:Messing with thier system (Score:3, Interesting)
What's the key management? If one of the reader units are removed from the sture, how hard is it to use it to get a valid key that can read all other prada rfid tags?
How hard is it to break into the readers that the store's using? Can you have to floor people direct people to randong items?
If the tags themselves are hard to game, can someone game the rest of the system?
-Peter
Re:Messing with thier system (Score:4, Insightful)
Now, if there was some kind of challenge-response going on, it would be much harder to deal with, although not impossible, given enough "captures".
Re:Messing with thier system (Score:3, Funny)
You're Canadian?
Re:Messing with thier system (Score:5, Informative)
Bullshit.
Proximity cards based on ISO14443 have encryption, but very limited reading range due to the larger power consumption of the chip. Popular types of vicinity (up to about 1 m reading range) cards such as I*Code, Tag-it, ISO 15693 use no encryption at all. I designed low-level firmware for a reader to read these, so I should know...
Re:Messing with thier system (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Messing with thier system (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Messing with thier system (Score:4, Interesting)
Imagine going to a designer store to buy a nice handbag or whatnot for your better half when you are tagged head to toe with WalMart and JC Penny tags.
Imagine trying to get help in such a store. It's hard enough getting help from the clerks if you don't appear to fit the "profile", but rich people sometimes dress like slobs too. Determining which is which is a simple matter of "loyalty cards", credit accounts, and sharing of customer info between stores.
RFID will confirm to the staff you are not their type of "customer". They only attention you will attract is store security.
Better yet, there are many jewelry shops with automatic doors that are locked and released by the staff after they look over the customer. Imagine this spreading to other kinds of shops now that RFID tags can be used. Wouldn't it be grand to be denied entrance based on what you wear and what cards you carry (and possibly the cash) in your wallet rather than just appearance?
Re:Messing with thier system (Score:3, Insightful)
I've accidently discovered the secret to getting service while dressed like a slob.. (And I wouldn't call myself rich)
Basically, be an arrogant yet superficially polite jerk. This includes:
Appear to be bored
Poke gently at the merchandise (as though it might be soiled), while making little sniffs and raising one eyebrow in amused d
Re:Messing with thier system (Score:3, Insightful)
Prada is in business to make money. If they're smart (and they seem to be), they'll do what's best for business. This includes profiling customers to focus attention on steady high rollers. But if a salesperson sees you in Levi's and Hanes, but their handheld tells them that you bought two handbags and a set of luggage last month, I don't think you'll be spurned.
Prada does not make money by
Re:Messing with thier system (Score:3, Insightful)
Ummm, I don't think ANY amount of fine clothes will help most
Re:Messing with thier system (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Messing with thier system (Score:3, Informative)
The system is composed of a few elements. The Readers which have large mats attached to them. The mats have a series of loops in them. One loop 'charges' the chip the other 'recieves' the chip.
The mats constantly send out a 'charge' signal to the chips which then send back their ID for the reader. This is happening at a very high frequently, for champion chip the time is rated to the .01 of a second.
Re:Messing with thier system (Score:3, Insightful)
When you have dozens of people crossing the line in any given second like you do in many large road races where they use these chips, it is much more accurate than you could get with a laser, because people will often cross the line before the previous finisher is completely over the line, making line of sight based techniques hard to use, it is also a very easy method of associating a number (and therefor a pers
Re:Sorry for the stupid question but... (Score:3, Interesting)
A clothing line for people who think they are important, like Gucci. Some people claim they are better quality, while most realize it's a bunch of hooey just to raise the price of a shirt 100x.
Hmm.... (Score:5, Insightful)
I'm not trying to flamebait, just make an observation. The days of going to your friendly local are over, and now the store assistants don't even need to think or recognise, they simply wrap digital information in comforting words and give you a nice smile.
Re:Hmm.... (Score:5, Insightful)
And if you don't like the idea of carrying around RFID tags, you're welcome to not carry the ENTIRELY OPTIONAL card. And the clothes? Well, Club Monaco (a Canadian clothing chain) already puts RFID tags in all of their higher-end merchandise. Clearly labelled "Please remove after purchase," I might add, which is good advice to anyone.
Re:Hmm.... (Score:4, Insightful)
Given the target demographic -- people who shop for status, rather than function -- this is a pretty clever idea. People who shop Prada probably do it for the ego-stroking they get from the sales staff as much as they do from the ego-stroking they get from their peers when they show off their new toy.
I'll bet you that 90% of that target demographic actually thinks their salesdrone actually remembers them. Your typical vapid trophy wife is one thing, but think of all the trophy wives' grandmothers who also have to shop for status.
"No, Antoine wouldn't be just reciting lines from a script being displayed to him from the cash register based on the RFID data from the loyalty card in my pocket, and stop talking in acronyms, you silly geek! He knew it was me, he even remembered my name and what I bought two years ago! My God, I must be so attractive to have made an impression on him like that!"
Re:Hmm.... (Score:4, Funny)
You're asking US? I shop at Walmart for clothes so I can afford to buy a $3000 PowerMac in the summer.
Re:Hmm.... (Score:5, Insightful)
The whole point of a very wealthy person going to these very expensive boutiques (other than paying $500 for a $20 item with a fancy name on it) is the personal touch. These places tend to have salesmen who know you by sight and can instantly tell what your interests are, how many kids you have, whatever. Often, they will be able to remember the conversation you were having last time you were in 6 months ago, and continue that conversation as if it was just yesterday.
That sort of thing takes talent, and a great memory. People that can do this are highly sought after in the retail world. If their skills are replaced by a simple chip that tells the associate everything about you, then the stores can get by with hiring minimum wage McDonalds rejects instead, thereby decreasing their total labor costs. It will also cheapen the whole experience.
Re:Hmm.... (Score:5, Insightful)
If their skills are replaced by a simple chip that tells the associate everything about you, then the stores can get by with hiring minimum wage McDonalds rejects instead, thereby decreasing their total labor costs. It will also cheapen the whole experience.
On the contrary, to even be able to function in a retail environment such as this, you have to have a certain gentility. Even if you had a client's life history in front of you to refer to, the sort of people that shop at places like Prada expect the salespeople to have a degree of breeding, taste, and poise. If you look at the makeup of the staffs of such places, or of very fine resturants, they tend to be the children of privileged families that, for one reason or another, are obliged to work for a living or are simply bored and want something to do. I spent many years as I went through college working in this area as a sommelier, and I can assure you that unless you can speak clear English, are well educated, and capable of speaking the peculiar high-context language of the upper class, the clients that frequent this sort of place and the people that run this sort of establishment would want nothing to do with you. Your average McDonalds worker would be hopeless in this case, regardless of the technological assistance give them.
It would indeed cheapen the whole experience: It would put them out of business.
Re:Hmm.... (Score:3, Insightful)
However, the RFID tags will help the salesperson remember, and will help a salesperson in a different branch know what the first salesperson did. In that situation, it simply helps great salespeople give better service.
D
Friendly local vs friendly global (Score:5, Insightful)
The frequent Prada shopper does not just shop in one city. They will expect the same level of 'courteous' service in New York, Paris, Los Angeles, and perhaps Milan; these RFID tags will give it to them.
It's not all that bad of an idea. I suspect that these shoppers will not be plagued with advertisements or other spam; they are rich, after all, and not the average dime-a-dozen consumer. The advertisers will be desperate not to offend them.
==============
Re:Friendly local vs friendly global (Score:3, Interesting)
I have no problem with a store doing this when I give permission. I also have no problem with RFID tags IN THE STORE. It's when they stay on after I leave with my purchase, open for anyone to read, that I have a problem.
I'm reminded... (Score:5, Interesting)
It creeped me out then and it creeps me out now.
Re:I'm reminded... (Score:4, Funny)
Re:I'm reminded... (Score:5, Interesting)
If you lived in a small, isolated, town, the shopkeepers there would know far more about you than these corporations will ever be able to milk from audit trails.
You don't hear people complaining when their waitress remembers what they like to drink...
I'm mostly playing devil's advocate here, I value my privacy as much as anyone.
Re:I'm reminded... (Score:5, Insightful)
I would if she wrote it down and faxed it to every other store that paid her a buck for the info.
Re:I'm reminded... (Score:5, Interesting)
There's this Starbucks I regularly visit. I'm quite peculiar with how I like my favourite drink prepared, and I've asked for it so many times, that at some point they started making it as soon as they saw my face.
But the thing is, I don't always order the same drink everyday, so after preparing a few for nothing, they've learned to wait til I ordered before starting to prepare it.
Humans are fickle. Put that in your paper trail, and smoke it.
Nope, she told it to them for free. (Score:5, Funny)
I think that's the big issue -- (Score:5, Interesting)
For instance, I heard that Giant [the grocery store chain] made more last year selling data about their customers than in profits from items sold in their store. In some ways, this is good to the customers, as it allows them to find an alternate revenue stream, and keep their prices down.
But it's not spun like that. Hell, in this case, it's not even mentioned, so in my opinion, it's worse than them placing ads on shopping carts. And I've personally been creeped out when they scanned my card before ringing up any merchandice, and of the four coupons their system spat out -- three of them were items I had on the conveyor belt, that had yet to be rung up.
Of course, I didn't like their spin on the cards, either. Probably because they were behind the curve, when I had who knows how many cards for every other business. [book store frequent buyers card, air lines, a couple other grocery stores]. At least with Safeway, the card was an alternative to needing to clip coupons from the book they'd send you each month. And with Kroger, they gave you a little keychain thing, and they guaranteed postage if it was dropped in a mailbox, so they could return your keys to you.
But I'm still not convinced that your health insurance won't go up if you start buying medical supplies and scan your card in. [or cigarettes]
doesn't have to be isolated or small... (Score:5, Insightful)
Small, isolated? Try 1 block from downtown financial center. Not a high-end clothes shop, either. No sir- a deli.
I started stopping there for a egg/bacon/cheese bagel, and on the second day- the woman looked at me and said "egg bacon cheese bagel, and an OJ, right?" Third day, i got a warm greeting and I knew she still remembered. This isn't a small place- it's directly across from South Station, and opposite One Financial Center. A lot of construction-guy types from the Big Dig and area renovation go there, as do limo drivers and local/state cops. The place is almost always bustling, and I've seen other customers get the same recognition.
All of this just goes to show that if you want to be successful, it's all about establishing a relationship with the customer, and that's the job of the sales person. It can't be automated, because if the customer sniffs that- they suddenly realize they're just a sheep of hundreds and they're not impressed in the slightest beyond the gee-gaw gadgetry of it all.
Who do you think will establish more long-term relationships at a high-end clothier- the salesperson with this palm thingy who does the in-person version of "let me pull up your records", or the salesperson who turns around, recognizes an important customer, and says, "Ah, Mr. Jones! Good to see you again. How did the alterations work on your dinner jacket?"
Re:doesn't have to be isolated or small... (Score:3, Funny)
They'll eventually have androids to do that. C3PO was amusing in the SW movies, but I bet he would get annoying fast.
Re:doesn't have to be isolated or small... (Score:5, Insightful)
But with the gadget behind the false front of his desk, the clerk can read
Customer entering: B. F. Jones
Last purchase: Alterations to dinner jacket 1/29/04 $84.59+tax
Total purchases: $9,259
Status: Platinum/All Courtesy to be Afforded
and take it from there, even if it's his first day on the job.
and then .... (Score:5, Funny)
Clerk reads screen, looks up to see two people walking in the door, a man and a woman. Clerk walks over to man and says "Good to see you again Mr. Jones!"
Girl says "Mr. Jones is my Dad and he gave me his card, this is just the guy I'm banging to piss him off. Now bring me your most expensive purse!"
It's still better for the clerk to know the customer personally, but yeah, this system is probably a good thing.
Re:doesn't have to be isolated or small... (Score:5, Insightful)
Exactly true. Summers in college I worked on the floor at a high-end men's specialty clothing store in NYC taking customers' clothes and credit cards from the salesmen to the cash registers hidden in the back (customers' eyes were not to be sullied by the sight of a plebian cash register, I guess!) and bringing them back out packaged and ready. Even though as temps we were just one step up from the minimum wage employees that did a similar job, we were expected to dress in a suit and tie and had to go through a "training session" which basically consisted of "the customer is always right" and emphasized that they stressed customer service. The kind of people who drop $5,000 on a suit of clothes without a second thought expect that kind of service and usually get it. It means lots of repeat business.
Same thing happens now. At work, a small group of us used to go to lunch to the same two restaurants 4-5 times a week. It got to the point where the owner or waitresses would see us come in the door and usher us to our favorite table with the condiments and free appetizers we liked ready and waiting. They liked the repeat business (sometimes we brought in large groups) and did their best to please us; we liked the service so we tipped very well and kept coming back. Works both ways.
Re:doesn't have to be isolated or small... (Score:5, Insightful)
Way back when I was in High School, my group of friends frequented the same dinner-type place quite often. We had 2 rules: Buy something (even just coffee), and leave a minimum $1 tip (even for the $.99 coffee).
In a short period of time, we were given a lot more lee-way when we made a lot of noise talking (as young kids will) than other high schoolers who went to the same place.
Re:I'm reminded... (Score:3, Insightful)
If you lived in a small, isolated, town, you would likely know as much about the shopkeeper as he knows about you.
And having lived in a small, but not so isolated town, I can say there is a much higher level of comfort and trust when you've known the local "Dusty Roads" storekeeper as your best friend's granddad than when the salesclone at Prada
Re:I'm reminded... (Score:3, Interesting)
I know that if you stay at a Four Seasons, they keep a database record of you that is reviewed before you check in. They know you like East facing rooms, never use the turn down service, are allergic to feather pillows and always order up pancakes for breakfast. Not having to explain how
Re:I'm reminded... (Score:4, Funny)
Argh. Now I made it more creepy.
Re:I'm reminded... (Score:3, Insightful)
As was I. All of the scenes from MR that showed advertisments blaring out to passerby, recommending personalized buying suggestions and hurling sales pitches pell mell filled me with horror. After the movie was over, I looked over at my wife and said, "When that happens, we're moving to a fucking log cabin on the Blue Ridge."
Of course, said cabin would be complete with a cutting edge solar/microhydroelectric power system, sattelite Internet Access, etc. My wife is always mystified by the fact that I can
Re:I'm reminded... (Score:3, Interesting)
Am I the only one who thought that was really cool that they could do that? I know I'd like to come to a store and have people be well equipped to help me get stuff efficiently.
Re:I'm reminded... (Score:4, Funny)
Finally an RFID implementation that would truly benefit mankind.
Re:I'm reminded... (Score:3, Interesting)
- You like scantily clad saleswomen
- It is your wife's birthday the next day
- Her size
- You just got a raise at work
- You never remember your wife's b-day
- Your blood type, preferences re: scantily clad saleswomen, etc.
Oh wait....
meh (Score:5, Funny)
The Prada Defense (Score:5, Funny)
Re:The Prada Defense (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:The Prada Defense (Score:3, Insightful)
I'm all for more user personalization, this is really no different from what Amazon does, except in a brick-and-mortar. As long as I can remove the RFID tag when I get home I'm good to go.
Not the only store. (Score:2, Troll)
Of course I don't expect to see a negative view of that here, being Apple and all.
NO WAY (Score:5, Funny)
Tag the rich (Score:4, Funny)
2. Track their locations
3. Take incriminating paparazzi pictures
4. ????
5. Profit!
John.
Re:Tag the rich (Score:5, Funny)
Why not? We already monitor their breeding habits (Paris Hilton, Pam Anderson, etc.) It's purely for scientific purposes, I assure you.
Technical information on RFID? (Score:5, Interesting)
It would be interesting to get a nice, sensitive, portable RFID antenna hooked up to a laptop and go, uhm, war-walking...
Re:Technical information on RFID? (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Technical information on RFID? (Score:3, Informative)
I was going to post a rant (Score:5, Funny)
What about changes in shopping preferences? (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:What about changes in shopping preferences? (Score:5, Interesting)
I for one like being target based on what I buy. I get a lot of import DVDs from Suncoast. Thus they send me a catalog of movies that are like the ones they know I buy. I fail to understand why thats a bad thing.
That's nothing (Score:5, Funny)
And at Barney's, they just knock you over, slip a collar around your neck, pick you up and let you continue shopping. No "Excuse me, it's store policy" or anything.
And in the meantime.... (Score:5, Funny)
Don't even get me started on the 'pants restraining device' that wraps around my waist.
All the items are RFID tagged to, leading to.... (Score:5, Funny)
customer: open the changing room doors please
changing room: I'm sorry, I can't do that
the thing is... (Score:3, Funny)
shopper: I'll take this in a size four!
salesgirl: she's at least a ten Of course, madame. discreetly removes size label. Here you go. Size four!
Same principle with shoes.
... Exposure (Score:5, Funny)
Are you thinking what I'm thinking?
Re:... Exposure (Score:5, Funny)
Are you thinking what I'm thinking?
I think so Brain, but why would gerbils need RFID tags?
RFIDs don't kill... people kill (Score:5, Insightful)
Compare/contrast to Wal-Mart which isn't open about the use of RFIDs and doesn't give the customer anything of value when they're installed. Since the customer knows nothing about the RFIDs, they don't have real choice in whether they want "to participate" in potentially privacy invading information gathering. Prada, by being open about the tags, alows the customer to simply shop somewhere else if they don't like them.
TW
Re:RFIDs don't kill... people kill (Score:5, Insightful)
Wal-Mart is implementing RFIDs on incoming shipments, not individual products. The pallets being delievered will each have an RFID tag on them, so they can be automatically inventoried as they are delivered from the manufacturers/distributors, as they're moved around the warehouses, shipped to stores, etc. The individual products (what the customer buys) will not have RFID tags in them. So the only effect on the customer at all is the possibility of Wal-Mart dropping prices even more as their inventory process becomes more streamlined.
-Todd
And the thing about Prada that is most positive... (Score:5, Funny)
Just listen to this other real human being who have successfully shopped for an article of clothing at Prada:
"I enjoyed my experience at Prada, and especially the changing rooms. When I had completed my trying on of an article of clothing, I was free to leave, uncooked and totally alive. It is a good store."
So take it from me, Zalgon-23-Prada: our changing rooms are the best! In fact, you should go in them even if you have no intention of trying on any articles of human clothing. I should know, as I am a human being just like yourself.
Re:And the thing about Prada that is most positive (Score:3, Informative)
For those of you that aren't Canadian, or have never heard of Radio Free Vestibule (I think they're just called 'Vestibule' now), this comes from one of their sketches. Zalgon-26 McGee's fine clothing!
Clippy in the dressing room... (Score:5, Funny)
"I see you're trying to put your trousers on two legs at a time."
Re:Clippy in the dressing room... (Score:5, Funny)
Good afternoon (Score:5, Funny)
Video-Mirrors (Score:4, Funny)
haute couture/uberdesigner clothes consumers (Score:4, Informative)
I've got to say... (Score:5, Insightful)
Yes yes, I see the privacy concerns. But on the other hand, people in stores currently aren't exactly trying to remember who you are and what you like. If they have a palm whatever to give them a better understanding of your tastes, they can be far more helpful in less time.
Getting past the personal buying history, however, those dressing rooms are certainly okay in my book. I like the idea of tags in the clothing displaying information on a screen, and come on... that "magic mirror" would make trying on clothing so much more enjoyable an experience. (At least, for those of us who actually care enough to put some effort in the way we dress.)
Popularizing controversial tech (Score:5, Interesting)
"if Fortune 500 CEOs sought it out to feed their children, the world would follow"
Would be fun to hack those RFIDs (Score:4, Funny)
Ought to get some cute replies from anyone behind the counter then... "Oh hey mister Baggins... Just wondering though, you might be interested in a nuclear warhead, Thunderbird 1 and screwing my sist- ..."
Who to roll (Score:5, Interesting)
2. scan random people for them
3. mug the people who have them
Nice simple way to know who's got $$ and who hasn't. Random credit card numbers might be nice if you only want a few hundred from each of them, but oh what a platinum visa might be worth.
Re:Who to roll (Score:3, Funny)
News for Thugs. Stuff that matters.
Time to start... (Score:4, Funny)
How do they do it? (Score:5, Funny)
Nouveau rich vs. real rich (Score:5, Insightful)
And that's for ready-to-wear. For tailored stuff (and who isn't rich and wearing custom tailored suits?), the tailor or his sizing rep comes to your house and measures you, shows fabric samples, and then comes back with finished clothes for final fitting.
Actually going to a store and having to disrobe in a changing room, interact with other people and have strangers around you isn't what people with real money do. There may be some stores that are far from home or impractical for personal shoppers, so in that case, you pack up your entourage, rent a few suites at the Plaza and have stuff brought to your room.
Re:Nouveau rich vs. real rich (Score:4, Insightful)
This is certainly true... but the're a class of rich people who wear crap like you and me.
Bill Gates and Warren Bruffet wear horable clothing. I've seen nicer suits at the local Goodwill than those two wear.
My version of personal shopper what lets me get clothing while still in my home: Logging into Sears.com and picking out some no-press shirts and slacks, the off to JCPenny.com for socks, and underware. Then REI.com for outdoor clothing and then to BrooksBrothers.com for a suit.
All delivered to me in a week.
mod parent up (Score:3, Funny)
I don't go to malls; the clothes come to me. Thanks Internet!
Whats scary is that J.Crew not only sent my wife a thank you letter for being a valued customer, but Bananna Republic online sent her a Christmas gift. Me thinks its time to hide those credit cards...
Re:Nouveau rich vs. real rich (Score:3, Insightful)
Forget the rfid - what's with the mirror? (Score:3, Interesting)
I'm tempted to go to Prada just to see the "mirror." For it to be a convincing substitute, you'd want a full length screen of some sort. Hard to believe thay've managed that so what exactly are you looking at when you look at the "mirror?"
Speaking of mirrors, an old girlfriend loved the mirror in my apartment because for some reason it flattered her coloring - she just looked better in the mirror than she actually did. I can see the "magic mirror" playing games of that sort as well - hiding blemishes, slimming the wearer etc.
Customizing the cash register (Score:4, Interesting)
It would clearly save money for the retailer, as the ordering process would be quicker and more accurate. It would improve the customer "experience" too.
Instead of having the merchant suggest these items based on your past buying habits (intrusive), you could go to their website to set up your custom choices (say up to 6) and change them as often as you want. The clerks don't need to deal with the fact that everyone's choices are different, as the keys themselves change meaning when your RFID walks up to the register.
It's not the RFID that unnerves me about this. (Score:4, Insightful)
The connection there is real. Now people aim to replace that with a wire in a piece of plastic, just as they're replacing living wage jobs with permatemp spots or part time people working close to full time schedules. If you think the negative part of this story is RFID, which is just brand new fuel for the paranoid that'll in actual practice do more to save money than invade privacy, think again; it's about subjugating another fulfilling business practice to a cookie-cutter scheme that anybody who can fog a mirror can perform.
Tagging the rich (Score:5, Funny)
the formula (Score:3, Funny)
2. Park van in front of exclusive boutique.
3. Wait for mark with lots of money, then snatch them.
4. ??????? (demand ransom, or make Paris Hilton video)
5. Profit!
Exposing themselves to onlookers (Score:3, Funny)
This is the last thing we need.... (Score:3, Insightful)
Never mind the privacy concerns, lots of people will take up that charge. Stores will end up doing custom pricing with this. Wouldn't be hard to say, "Hey, this guy bought a big screen TV last time... when he checks this price, it'll be full retail". Of course, they might offer a discount at times, but I seriously doubt it.
Another thing, the last thing I want to do is to have to chase down a salesperson to find an item just because they're glad-handing a previous customer. Worse, I don't want salespeople slithering up and acting like a best friend just because they happen to have your info.
mental slavery (Score:4, Interesting)
Back in the day... (Score:4, Insightful)
Maybe this will start to change now that we have high tech eyes watching our every move.
But... it's just off-putting that someone you don't know well has all this information about you. I don't care really if my tailor of some decades of acquaintance knows some personal details about me, like my left leg is shorter than my right leg. I worry, though, when that information get collected into a big system and combined with all sorts of other information from who knows where.
RFID tags for fun and profit (Score:3, Interesting)
prada - useless web site (Score:4, Informative)
They're already here! (Score:3, Insightful)
RFIDS? What do you think cookies are? The concept of RFIDs has efectively been on the net for years. And for you tinfoil hat ppl: They have been monitoring us liek rats for years... people have been taken, things have been done to them, now there walking gap advertisements...
Things to think about (Score:5, Informative)
_ WalMart was testing RFID retail solutions on individual products BEFORE they pulled back from the gillette tag project. See http://www.rfidjournal.com/article/articleview/65
_ Data collected by RFID in the retail environment is pretty inocuous compared to what is already collected. Wheter you use a 'club card' or not, if you've ever payed for a purchase with a credit card there is a name & address associated to your detailed purchases.
_ RFID tags can't be read by potential theives or evil conmen. The technology as-is is pretty crappy right now, and the range required to read tags small enough to fit on an individual product is within a couple inches. Portals/readers have to be specifically tuned to certin tag formats as well. Suffice to say, unless the 'evil doers' have the ability to hold the actual item -- and the right hardware to read the specific tag, they dont have a shot in hell at reading it. If that doesn't address your concerns, then how about this: newer tags implement self-destructing features, that allow a 'die now' command to be sent when scanning to render them useless -- just to be safe.
_ RFID tags function poorly around metals and machinery from interference. They're pretty bad around water and paper/wood too.
_ Everyone touts the Prada store's accomplishments for the past two years. Its old news -- and no one ever mentions that the stuff never works. Go by the store, ask for a demonstration. Watch the employees cross their fingers or laugh. Go on... The Prada store is only functional as a PR piece.
All of the outcry and reservations about RFID is just plain stupid -- the technology only makes current supply chain tasks easier. The only negative effect on consumer privacy they exert, is detracting attention from the invasive climate THAT ALREADY EXISTS.
Re:Might not be bad... (Score:5, Funny)
I had my birthday party in a Prada changing room, you insensitive clod!