Comments on: Wal-Mart spy chips

By: Reader's Write

Reader's Write — Sat, 22 Oct 2005 11:23:32 +0000

You can’t take them off the product after you’ve left the store, they’re built into it. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if it rapidly (if it’s not already) became illegal to tamper with or remove the rfid tags on products you’ve already purchased and taken home.

By: Reader's Write

Reader's Write — Sat, 22 Oct 2005 05:00:26 +0000

RFID tags respond with a specific radio code transmission they have been designed to produce, whenever they recieve a signal on a specific radio frequency. The tag is a simple solid-state circuit that actually derrives it’s transmission power from the “query” radio signal, giving them a limitless lifespan.

Reception of the response signal, and decoding of it, takes about as much computer power as a hand-held calculator; and the RF-capacity of a $10 walkie-talkie. POF using these two items (and some know-how) you can build a RFID-decoder that will tell you the distance and information in any RFID tag within 500 feet. Use two and you can triangulate.

And every doubling of RF-capacity inproves the traking distance by 100%. This means that somebody who wnats to blow about $2,000 and has the know-how can hook up an RFID query radio strong enough to locate and ID any RFID tag in about a 5-mile radius.

Now consider that RFID tags are about 1/16th of an inch square, and weigh less than a fly fart.

This isn’t a new “anti-theft technology”, this is a BIG-BROTHER CITIZEN TRACKING technology. THAT is what is bad with it!

By: Reader's Write

Reader's Write — Sat, 22 Oct 2005 03:09:54 +0000

it’s not just a thing that buzzes the security at the door – it’s a *unique* tag that can later be probed from a (small) distance without the consumers knowledge – possibly identifing the consumer if their purchase was tied to their identity…

By: Reader's Write

Reader's Write — Fri, 21 Oct 2005 22:19:45 +0000

how is this any different than the current security tags Sears puts on its pants? O_o…. its just another simple security tag that will prevent even more people from walking out with items.

By: Reader's Write

Reader's Write — Fri, 21 Oct 2005 21:52:40 +0000

another good reason not to shop walmart. unfortunatly the majority of the mass consumers will swollow this like a hungry bass swollowing a hook. only when it’s too late will they wiggle and fight but it’ll be a loosing battle by then. don’t mean to sound pessimistic but whenever big business wants something, they usually get it.