They’re All Out To Get You
I’m all for clamping down on Big Brother, but this needlessly alarmist post at BoingBoing is the most ridiculous thing I’ve seen since the faux-controversy about the NSA website dropping cookies :
“I was reading an article this morning on the new American Airlines luggage charge (THAT’s gonna go over well), and noticed an aside starting on page 3. Las Vegas is using RFIDs in outgoing luggage now to help move bags more efficiently. After realizing that…um…I had bags that just got back from Vegas about 20 ft. from me, I realized I had to check it out. Oh yeah, there’s a RFID. Freaky. And does the tag mention that? Nope. And it’s not like airports don’t have scanners…”
Don’t we want the airlines to be able to track our luggage? It’s not like you’re getting forced to get a “110 110 110″ tattoo or something. If you don’t want the airlines to track your every move (as if they’d even care), just take off the tag once you get your bag back.
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The problem is that it isn’t obvious that the luggage tag has an RFID strip. Now that I know this, I’ll remove the tags from my luggage at the airport (before, I would remove them at my hotel / home / etc). The problem?
1) How many people won’t know about this
2) What other items will be tagged with RFID without most people knowing
You don’t even have to be a “the government is out to get me” individual to be concerned about this. What data is on the strip? How easily can someone else read it? A street address would be bad enough to concern me.
Comment by Aaron — May 22, 2008 @ 6:06 pm
Okay, I realize my above post may seen a bit over the top. I agree this isn’t a huge issue, but I don’t think it’s nothing (like the cookie issue). Every (even small) erosion of privacy leads to deeper erosions of privacy.
Comment by Aaron — May 22, 2008 @ 6:58 pm
The use of RFID technology in luggage tags,may help to keep the “trains running on time” so to speak,objecting to such convenience,and efficiency,may seem irrational to some.The use of RFID technology in a national ID card,might raise a few concerns,but can be rationalized by the same argument,”the trains run on time”,it is an efficient method,convenient for a goverment which wishs to track the movments of its citizens.RFID tracking of luggage may seem a trivial matter,but in a country where AT&T assist the goverment in illegal spying,where warrentless searchs,no-fly list,extraordinary rendition,and torture,go unpunished,I can’t blame a person who is upset,that he has brought a tracking device into his home unknowingly.The misuse of new technologies by corporations,and goverment,left unchecked,has quickly produced a nation,where privacy is becomeing,a thing of the past…
“Fascism should more appropriately be called Corporatism because it is a merger of state and corporate power.”
Benito Mussolini
“The keystone of the Fascist doctrine is its conception of the State, of its essence, its functions, and its aims. For Fascism the State is absolute, individuals and groups relative.”
Benito Mussolini
Comment by pogo — May 24, 2008 @ 3:42 pm
Or, you could tear small pieces of aluminum foil from your hat and cover the RFID strip.
You can repair your hat later, or by a fresh roll of Reynolds Wrap and design a new style appropriate for the season.
Comment by Ereshkigal — May 27, 2008 @ 6:42 pm
Your comment is cliché,void of wit,juvenile in content,and emblematic,of the smug,brainwashed,inarticulate dupe.Repeating media supplied buzzwords,and stereotyped insults,lends nothing to the topic.This type of critic is better suited to the walls of some high school lavatory.
Comment by pogomatic@yahoo.com — May 29, 2008 @ 11:19 pm
Actually, the comment was amusing, though it didn’t add anything to the commentary. These RFIDs are no worse than being tracked on this site by our e-mail addresses. Our ISP addresses are constantly tracked and people process more information online than nearly anything that could be done in the real world. Sure, we may have RFID tags placed upon our luggage, but chances are you booked your flight and hotel online with your e-mail address, credit card, home address, home/cell phone #, etc. So the fact that you have a RFID on your luggage is essentially moot. Your plane ticket shows your boarding and arrival, your credit card shows when you checked in to your hotel room. Really, all the RFID gives anyone access to is where your luggage is, which can be really awesome since luggage is CONSTANTLY lost. But RFIDs put off a weak signal and trackers need to be in fairly close proximity to them to pick up the signal. It’s not like they’re GPS enabled (yet). But again, if they were, it still wouldn’t mean that much because of all the other information they can access readily and the fact that you can just rip the tag off without a problem.
Comment by tazjam@gmail.com — May 31, 2008 @ 7:08 am