I hear this was test marketed in trinidad. Apparently they tracked this guy who shortens his name from a biblical reference. All they found out about him was that he spends all his time looking at something called hof/cf-community. Pretty scary.
DRE > -----Original Message----- > From: Dana Tierney [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Sent: Wednesday, June 11, 2003 2:43 PM > To: CF-Community > Subject: Re: Big Brother in WALMART > > > interesting. I wonder if this is how I set off the alarm at > Wal Mart the other day; I bought some CD-Rs and then went to > Walmart for groceries. I set off the alarm when I was > leaving, and wondered at the time how it knew about products > I had bought at another store. > > Dana > > Angel Stewart writes: > > > >" BIG BROTHER COMES TO WAL-MART > > > > > > http://www.newswithviews.com/Mary/starrett14.htm > > > > > > By Mary Starrett > > > June 11, 2003 > > > > > > NewsWithViews.com > > > > > > Starting this week, the nation's largest discount retailer will > > > quietly begin selling tracking-chipped products to > clueless shoppers. > > > The first volley in their war against our privacy is set > to start at > > > their Brockton, Massachusetts store. > > > > > > Wal-Mart will put Radio Frequency I.D. sensors on shelves stocked > > > with > > > > > RFID-tagged Gillette products, but they'd rather you didn't know > > > about > > > > > it, because, hey, you might not like it, and then you might make > > > noise > > > > > and then they'd have a big PR mess on their hands. > > > > > > You might even stop buying Gillette products or, say, > refuse to shop > > > at Wal-Mart. > > > > > > These chips, researched at M.I.T.'s Auto-ID Center are about the > > > size > > > of a grain of sand. Chipsters say the technology will > only be used to > > > help retailers keep track of inventory - like bar codes. But > > > privacy-loving consumers question the very concept of a > device that > > > sends out radio waves to "readers" that not only identify > the article, > > > > > but where and with whom it's going. > > > > > > The Big Brother implications of this thing need little > hyping to get > > > your skin crawling. > > > > > > Wal-Mart's putting the pressure on its top 100 suppliers to make > > > sure > > > their inventory is all chipped by the end of next year. > > > > > > But why start this in Brockton, Mass? > > > > > > Could it be because the store's customers are typically > lower income > > > minorities who'd be less likely to be aware of the > tracking devices, > > > and even less likely to make a fuss about them? > > > > > > Their thinking? Let's foist it on folks who're too concerned about > > > paying the electric bill to be aware of these types of issues. > > > > > > Retailers are SUPPOSED to alert their customers to the tracking > > > chips > > > and offer to "kill" the tags at the checkout counter. > > > > > > Don't count on it, because what you don't know won't hurt you, > > > right? > > > And to PROVE those RFID tags won't be "killed" at the > cash register > > > one of the ways they're planning on convincing you, the > shopper that > > > these tags are A-OK is by touting how "hassle-free" > returns will be. > > > Huh? If the tags are supposedly turned off at purchase, > how can they > > > be read after the item's brought back to the store? Just > one of the > > > myriad lies you'll be told about this technology. > > > > > > Are we to expect that in addition to being asked the "paper or > > > plastic" question we'll get an option on whether the RFID > tags are > > > left on or turned off? Not only will consumers be > witnessing the death > > > > > throes of privacy, but it's going to cost them. > Currently, the chips > > > cost about 60 cents each. Add that to the cost of each > and every item > > > that uses this Orwellian technology. Gillette and > Wal-Mart are only > > > the pioneers here, the stated plan is to affix each item > produced on > > > the planet with RFID tags. Each pack of gum, each roll of > film, each > > > bottle of Merlot. > > > > > > So what's a freedom-loving shopper to do? > > > > > > Fortunately for us, there's a really smart lady finishing > up a Ph.D. > > > at Harvard. She started a group that's bellowing out the > urgency of > > > fighting this technology; her name is Katherine Albrecht > and she's > > > founder of CASPIAN (Consumers Against Supermarket Privacy > Invasion And > > > > > Numbering). Albrecht's CASPIAN has proposed a piece of federal > > > legislation called "RFID RIGHT TO KNOW ACT OF 2003". It's > a law that > > > would let consumers know which products had tracking > chips attached to > > > > > them. In short, the proposed bill would amend the Fair > Packaging and > > > Labeling Program by adding language that requires > manufacturers to > > > state (in a conspicuous location) that the package > contains a radio > > > frequency identification tag that can transmit unique > identification > > > information to a "reader" device both before and AFTER it's > > > purchased(!). > > > > > > This is where you come in. > > > > > > The bill needs a sponsor. > > > > > > Maybe YOUR Congressional Representative would like to go > on record > > > as > > > having helped stop this assault on our privacy. Forward > this article > > > to him/her and tell them the entire text of the bill can > been seen at > > > nocards.org. > > > > > > Will you make it a point to email, call or fax your representative > > > today, before our Big Brother gets any bigger? Do it NOW > before the > > > lobbyists and big money special interests get to them and > convince > > > Congress these RFID chips are consumer-friendly! > > > > > > And while you're at it, why not tell the suits at Wal-Mart and > > > Gillette (and Home Depot, Proctor and Gamble and Johnson > & Johnson, > > > too, by the > > > way) that from here on out you wouldn't go near their > stores or their > > > products with a ten foot pole. > > > > > > It works. Remember back a few months when I told you how Italian > > > clothing company Benetton had chipped their Sisely line > of clothes and > > > > > was all set to roll out the garments with RFID tracking devices? > > > Well > > > your outrage and feedback caused them to put the scheme on hold. > > > > > > Let's make sure the behemoth Wal-Mart is similarly put on notice. > > > (By > > > the way, IBM's planning to add RFID to it's products; so > if Wal-Mart > > > manages to sneak this past us, all bets are off and then every > > > corporate giant will be able to inflict this chilling, > > > tracking/monitoring horror on us.) > > > > > > If RFID gets off the ground as planned, that would make George > > > Orwells' predictions off by just 20 years. It's up to us. > > > > > > C 2003 Mary Starrett - All Rights Reserved" > > > > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Archives: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/index.cfm?forumid=5 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/index.cfm?method=subscribe&forumid=5 Your ad could be here. Monies from ads go to support these lists and provide more resources for the community. http://www.fusionauthority.com/ads.cfm Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/unsubscribe.cfm?user=89.70.5
