RFID: Reasonable Fear of Information Disclosure
"There's something happenin' here
What it is ain't exactly clear
There's a man with a gun over there
Telling me I got to beware
I think it's time we stop, children,
What's that sound,
Everybody look what's goin' down"
-- Buffalo Springfield
Keep those tin hats on, campers.
RFID, or Radio Frequency Identification, is a no-so new technology that is pervading our society at an alarming rate. And depending upon what your news outlets are, you may not have ever heard of it. Similar to the barcode, RFID is a system of identification that, originally, would have allowed large companies to maintain more orderly, accurate inventories of products.
Devices carrying this technology come in a range of sizes from a 1 in. x 1 in. square chip to a transmitter half the size of a grain of sand. These microchips do not carry an electric charge or battery, instead relying on a scanner to issue a radio frequency which it converts into a charge, enabling it to issue a respond broadcast carrying its unique ID signature. Believe me, corporate
To be sure, RFID is a double-edged sword. It has the potential to strengthen supply chains, increase inventory efficiency reduce product shrinkage. One company offers RFID-enabled pajamas for parents concerned about their children's security. Yet another firm is embedding RFID chips in prescription pill bottles given to seniors with limited vision. A handheld reader announces the contents of a scanned bottle, time of last consumption, and the expected date of refill. If you have a Mobil Speedpass for refilling your gas tank, a toll tag to cruise unimpeded on the pay-way, or a pet-chip in your dog, RFID is already a part of your life. And the further applications are nearly limitless.
But many privacy advocates deride the use of RFID as a marriage of convenience and corporate greed. Wal-Mart is already testing RFID in its
There is currently no law regulating the use of RFID. There is, however, a new book on the subject. Spychips, by Katherine Albrecht and Liz McIntyre details how the powers that be plan to track everybody. It is a grim prediction of the neigh-inevitable Orwellian society. The authors also plan a revision of the book, detailing why Christians should be concerned about RFID and its potential for "Mark of the Beast" status. Could the Christian Right be on course to side with the "evil" ACUL? Stranger things have happened.
Imagine this scenario: you are an underprivileged member of society, living on a severely limited budget. Since second-hand material goods are the most viable option to you, a slightly worn jacket at a thrift store finds its way into your closet. A few days later, wearing the jacket in public, cadre of law enforcement officials close in and pin you to the ground. An hour later you sit in a cell, waiting for DNA results to return from a crime lab. It turns out the previous owner of your jacket killed a child, but the authorities, well intentioned as they may be, nabbed you by pinpointing the RFID signal coming off your clothes. By the time your DNA is analyzed and verified, a week has past. Finally emerging from the cell, your entire life has been altered by the assumption that you may have been a child murderer.
Or worse! Imagine an electronic marauder armed with a $20 RFID reader, ganking consumer info on the low. Walking past you on the street, a simple press of a concealed button would silently nab RFID numbers from every chip within a broadcast radius. That hacker could then easily uncover, or even legitimately buy, your personal information from companies that associate RFID's with consumer data. If you thought the corporations knew a lot about you already, just wait until the RFID flood gates are opened.
Oh wait, they already have been. Dead bodies found in the wake of Hurricane Katrina now have implanted RFID chips for easy identification. At least we'll know which mass grave they were burried in.
"Paranoia strikes deep
Into your life it will creep
It starts when you're always afraid
Step outta line, the man come and take you away
We better stop, hey, what's that sound,
Everybody look what's goin' down"
Citizens not looking forward to the age of spychips have few options. For one, if you want to ensure that an RFID chip has been disabled, the only way to be certain is to microwave the item. Since these chips can be as small as, or smaller than, a flake of pepper, most of the time you cannot detect their presence. The only other option is to create a transient electromagnetic device, such as an explosively pumped flux compression generator, which delivers a single, devastating electromagnetic pulse that disables these chips and other electronic equipment within the pulse radius. On the downside, the government considers devices like this to be objects of cyber warfare, and likely illegal. Turn off the spychip and you'll get popped by the man!
Welcome to the REAL dawn of the information age. If you think supermarket membership cards are annoying, just wait until personalized advertising, a la Minority Report, shows up at Macy's. It is coming, much sooner than you think. Call it whatever you want; this technology is one beast that needs to be corralled.
Mahalo.
