Revelation 13:16-17 And he causes all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free men and the slaves, to be given a mark on their right hand or on their forehead, and he provides that no one should be able to buy or to sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name.
The highly recommended and definitive site on the internet about RFID is: http://www.spychips.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 31, 2006
WISCONSIN BANS FORCED HUMAN RFID CHIPPING
Groundbreaking Law Spotlights Opposition to VeriChip
Civil libertarians cheered yesterday upon news that Wisconsin Governor
Jim Doyle signed a law making it a crime to require an individual to be
implanted with a microchip. Activists and authors Katherine Albrecht and
Liz McIntyre joined the celebration, predicting this move will spell
trouble for the VeriChip Corporation, maker of the VeriChip human
microchip implant.
The VeriChip is a glass encapsulated Radio Frequency Identification tag
that is injected into the flesh to uniquely number and identify people.
The tag can be read silently and invisibly by radio waves from up to a
foot or more away, right through clothing. The highly controversial
device is also being marketed as a way to access secure areas, link to
medical records, and serve as a payment device when associated with a
credit card.
"We're not even aware of anyone attempting to forcibly implant
microchips into people," says Albrecht. "That lawmakers felt this
legislation was necessary indicates a growing concern that the company's
product could pose a serious threat to the public down the road."
Although the company emphasizes that its chip is strictly voluntary,
recent statements suggest this could easily change. VeriChip Chairman of
the Board Scott Silverman has been promoting the VeriChip as a partial
solution to immigration concerns, proposing it as a way to register
guest workers, verify their identities as they cross the border, and "be
used for enforcement purposes at the employer level." He told
interviewers on the Fox News Channel that the company has "talked to
many people in Washington about using it."
The company has also confirmed it has been in talks with the Pentagon
about replacing military dog tags with VeriChip implants.
Wisconsin's anti-human-chipping law comes at a particularly bad time for
VeriChip Corporation because it has an initial public offering of its
stock in the works, McIntyre observes. "The company has been losing
millions of dollars and has been counting on public acceptance to stem
its losses and prove its future. The people have spoken. They don't want
RFID devices in their flesh, and we expect other states will join
Wisconsin in prohibiting forced chipping."
Albrecht and McIntyre have dogged the VeriChip Corporation, revealing
medical and security flaws in its human chip and warning about its
serious privacy and civil liberties downsides in their book "Spychips:
How Major Corporations and Government Plan to Track Your Every Move with
RFID."
Wisconsin's new law was introduced as Assembly Bill 290 by
Representative Marlin D. Schneider (D) and was passed unanimously by
both houses of the Wisconsin State Legislature this spring. The law
makes it illegal to require an individual to have a microchip implant
and subjects a violator to a fine of up to $10,000 per day.
=========================================
ABOUT THE BOOK
"Spychips: How Major Corporations and Government Plan to Track your
Every Move with RFID" (Nelson Current) was released in October 2005.
Already in its fifth printing, "Spychips" is the winner of the 2006
Lysander Spooner Award for Advancing the Literature of Liberty and has
received wide critical acclaim. Authored by Harvard doctoral researcher
Katherine Albrecht and former bank examiner Liz McIntyre, the book is
meticulously researched, drawing on patent documents, corporate source
materials, conference proceedings, and firsthand interviews to paint a
convincing -- and frightening -- picture of the threat posed by RFID.
Despite its hundreds of footnotes and academic-level accuracy, the book
remains lively and readable according to critics, who have called it a
"techno-thriller" and "a masterpiece of technocriticism."
The Spanish-language version of the book, titled "Chips Espias," will be
available in bookstores in the Americas and Spain starting June 6, 2006.
=========================================
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Katherine Albrecht (kma@spychips.com) 877-287-5854 ext. 1
or
Liz McIntyre (liz@spychips.com) 877-287-5854 ext. 2
CASPIAN: Consumers Against Supermarket Privacy Invasion and Numbering
Opposing supermarket loyalty cards and other retail surveillance
schemes since 1999
http://www.spychips.com/
http://www.nocards.org/
You're welcome to duplicate and distribute this message to others who
may find it of interest.
To subscribe or unsubscribe to the Caspian-newsletter-l mailing list,
click
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If you have difficulty with the web-based interface, you may also
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admin@nocards.org
=====================================================================
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 27, 2006
VERICHIP RFID IMPLANT HACKED!
Will Security Problems Quash IPO Plans for Controversial Company?
The VeriChip can be hacked! This revelation along with other worrisome
details could put a crimp in VeriChip Corporation's planned initial
public offering (IPO) of its common stock, say Katherine Albrecht and
Liz McIntyre.
The anti-RFID activists and authors of "Spychips: How Major Corporations
and Government Plan to Track Your Every Move with RFID" make no bones
about their objection to VeriChip's plans to inject glass encapsulated
RFID tags into people. But now they've discovered information that could
call VeriChip's entire business model into question.
"If you look at the VeriChip purely from the business angle, it's a
ridiculously flawed product," says McIntyre. She notes that security
researcher Jonathan Westhues has shown how easy it is to clone a
VeriChip implanted in a person's arm and program a new chip with the
same number.
Westhues, known for his prior work cloning RFID-based proximity cards,
has posted his VeriChip cloning demo online at http://cq.cx/verichip.pl.
The VeriChip "is not good for anything," says Westhues, has absolutely
no security and "solves a number of different non-problems badly."
The chip's security issues may spell trouble for those who have had one
of the microchips embedded in their flesh. These include eighteen
employees in the Mexican Attorney General's office who use an implanted
chip to enter a sensitive records room, and a handful bar patrons in
Europe who use the injected chips to pay for drinks. "What are these
people going to do now that their chips can be cloned?" says McIntyre.
"Wear tinfoil shirts or keep everyone at arm's length?"
Albrecht quips, "A man with a chip in his arm may soon find himself
wondering whether that cute gal on the next bar stool likes his smile or
wants to clone his VeriChip. It gives new meaning to the burning
question, 'Does she want my number?'"
But the VeriChip's problems don't stop there, says McInytre, who is also
a former bank examiner and financial writer. She has carefully analyzed
the company's SEC registration statement and associated chipping
information and discovered serious flaws. It turns out the company's own
literature indicates that chipped patients cannot undergo an MRI if
they're unconscious. What's more, the company admits that critical
medical information linked to the chip could be unavailable in a real
emergency. "These issues call VeriChip's promotional campaigns and
business plan into question," McIntyre says.
The instructions provided to medical personnel warn that chipped
patients should not undergo an MRI unless they are fully alert and able
to communicate any "unusual sensations or problems," like movement or
heating of the implant. This conflicts with company's efforts to promote
people who cannot speak for themselves, such as Alzheimer's patients,
those with dementia, the mentally disabled, and people concerned about
entering an emergency room unconscious.
"The irony is that implantees will have to wear a Medic Alert bracelet
or bear some obvious marking so they aren't mistakenly put in an MRI
machine," Albrecht says.
Chipped patients might also have to wear a Medic Alert bracelet as a
back-up in case the VeriChip database containing their critical medical
information is unavailable. The fine print on the back of the VeriChip
Patient Registration Form warns implantees that "the Company does not
warrant...that the website will be available at any particular time,"
and physicians are told the product might not function in places where
there are ambient radio transmissions--like ambulances. In addition,
patients are required to waive any claims related to the product's
"merchantability and fitness." The waiver paragraph as it appears on the
form is reprinted below:
"Patient...is fully aware of any risks, complications, risks of
loss, damage of any nature, and injury that may be associated
with this registration. Patient waives all claims and releases
any liability arising from this registration and acknowledges
that no warranties of any kind have been made or will be made
with respect to this registration. ALL WARRANTIES, WHETHER
EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, HOWEVER ARISING, WHETHER BY OPERATION OF LAW
OR OTHERWISE, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO ANY IMPLIED
WARRANTIES OF MECHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR
PURPOSE ARE EXCLUDED AND WAIVED. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE COMPANY
BE LIABLE TO PATIENT FOR ANY INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL OR
CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING LOST INCOME OR SAVINGS) ARISING
FROM ANY CAUSE WHATSOEVER, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THEIR POSSIBILITY,
REGARDLESS OF WHETHER SUCH DAMAGES ARE SOUGHT BASED ON BREACH OF
CONTRACT, NEGLIGENCE, OR ANY OTHER LEGAL THEORY." [Emphasis in
the original.]
"For a life or death medical device, that's unbelievable," says
McIntyre. "I wouldn't buy toilet paper that required that kind of a
disclaimer, never mind a product that's supposed to serve as a lifeline
in an emergency."
McIntyre contacted the VeriChip Corporation for comments on these issues
and was initially promised a response. When the company failed to get to
get back to her, McIntyre followed up and was told that the employee had
been instructed not to answer her questions. The unanswered questions,
along with photos of the VeriChip and associated literature, are
available at www.spychips.com/verichip/unanswered-questions.html.
"Spychips: How Major Corporations and Government Plan to Track your
Every Move with RFID" was released in October 2005. Already in its fifth
printing, "Spychips" is the winner of the Lysander Spooner Award for
Advancing the Literature of Liberty and has received wide critical
acclaim. Authored by Harvard doctoral researcher Katherine Albrecht and
former bank examiner Liz McIntyre, the book is meticulously researched,
drawing on patent documents, corporate source materials, conference
proceedings, and firsthand interviews to paint a compelling -- and
frightening -- picture of the threat posed by RFID.
Despite its hundreds of footnotes and academic-level accuracy, the book
remains lively and readable according to critics, who have called it a
"techno-thriller" and "a masterpiece of technocriticism."
You're welcome to duplicate and distribute this message to others who
may find it of interest.
=====================================================================
To subscribe or unsubscribe to the CASPIAN mailing list, click the
following link or copy and paste it into your browser: http://www.nocards.org/cgi-bin/mojo/mojo.cgi
If you have difficulty with the web-based interface, you may also
subscribe or unsubscribe via email by writing to: admin@nocards.org
===================================================================== Over 3 million pets accept the Mark of the Beast
According to their website:
More than 3,054,440 pets are enrolled with the HomeAgain Pet
Recovery Service. HomeAgain is responsible for reuniting more than
270,085 lost pets with their owners.
They are also affiliated with Digital Angel the company that wants to implant humans with a microchip as well.
http://www.digitalangelcorp.com They have a national database that holds the pet's and owner's personal information.
This is an attempt to normalize microchip tracking and build
capital to bombard us with propaganda and ultimately force us to take
the Mark. The propaganda will go something like this.
1. If your pet were to wander off wouldn't you want to get your pet back? Of course you would.
2. If your child were abducted wouldn't you want to get your child
back? Of course you would. You'd do it for your pet why not your
child? Isn't your child's welfare worth as much as the dog's?
3. Some poor child will be kidnapped or worse and not be able to be
saved. The parents will be deemed negligent because they didn't get
their child CHIPPED.
4. Politicians will call for chipping of all children before they
can go to school and call it (insert poor dead child's name here)'s
law.
5. Eventually we all are tracked and traced from cradle to grave exactly the same as our HomeAgain pets.
If you feel like I do you can go to the HomeAgain website and put
in your zip code to find a vet near you that participates in this
program and let them know what you think of it or contact HomeAgain at:
1-866-738-4324
HomeAgain Pet Recovery Service
P.O. Box 2014
East Syracuse, NY 13057-4514
CASPIAN NEWSLETTER, 08-18-05: The Catch-up Edition
Consumer privacy and RFID newsletter
=====================================================================
A Note from Katherine Albrecht
There hasn't been a newsletter in several months, but for a very good
reason. I've been working with my co-author Liz McIntyre to finish our
upcoming book Spychips: How Major Corporations and Government Plan to
Track Your Every Move With RFID (Nelson Current/2005). It's an explosive
expose that tells everything we know about RFID and offers up some new,
never-before-published information that will prove in the companies' own
words their unsavory plans to monitor everything on earth and all of
humanity. It's due out in the major bookstores October 4, 2005. We'll
send out an email reminder when it's available so you can buy this
must-have book.
Many thanks to Sunni Maravillosa for all her help in producing the
newsletter over the past year while I've been working on the book. She
will be refocusing her energy on her very successful website, Sunni's
Salon, at www.endervidualism.com/salon/
and her blog at www.sunnimaravillosa.com.
Starting with this "catch-up" edition,
CASPIAN's Communications Director Liz McIntyre and I will bring you the
latest in supermarket surveillance news and RFID misdeeds.
CATCH-UP NEWS:
1- CASPIAN warns of CVS loyalty card security hole
2- Levi-Strauss tags jeans in Mexico with RFID
3- AMEX and retailers tout spychipped payment cards
4- Ex-Bush cabinet member joins VeriChip board
5- Spychipped kids' pajamas
6- Texas A & M University tagging student uniforms
7- UK union workers say "no way" to RFID
8- RFID license plates to be tested in the UK
9- Homeland Security launches RFID checkpoints
10- United Airlines employees get spychipped passports
11- Gov't official uses CVS cards to justify more snooping
12- Cleveland Museum of Art to track visitors with RFID
OLDER NEWS:
1- Federal agency warns of RFID privacy risk
2- The mobile parking spy
3- Library requires fingerprint to use computers
4- RFID marketing hits Seattle
5- We got National ID
6- US and Britain to share ID card technology
7- Tesco wants to sell you a house -- and bury you, too
8- Scales that phone home
9- New microphones listen in on London
10- RFID added to Oxford dictionary
CASPIAN ACTIVISTS UPDATE:
1- CASPIAN in the news
2- CASPIAN members sound off
3- Member Corner
=====================================================================
CASPIAN WARNS OF CVS LOYALTY CARD SECURITY HOLE
=====================================================================
Consumers using the CVS ExtraCare cards to buy health-related items
could have been offering up their purchase details to co-workers, family
members and even their mechanics and valets. Anybody with access to the
ExtraCare loyalty card number dangling from someone's keychain, the
first three letters of the person's last name, and their zip code could
peer into over a year's worth of CVS purchases.
CASPIAN revealed the security hole by asking volunteer reporters to sign
up for a CVS ExtraCare card and purchase health-related items. Then we
asked only for the reporters' card numbers and zip codes. Armed with
that information we accessed the CVS website and had a list of their
purchases sent to a temporary email account we had set up for the
purchase.
In each case, CVS responded within 24 hours, sending us lists detailing
purchases of sensitive items like Trojan Twisted Pleasure condoms, a
home pregnancy test kit, and enema kits. Information in the emails
included products purchased, date of purchase, price paid, and UPC
numbers. An example email is posted at our website at http://www.nocards.org/press/images/cvs-email.jpg.
CVS was offering the purchase histories so consumers could prove their
over-the-counter medical product purchases qualified for a federal tax
program. Qualifying purchases can be reimbursed through a so-called
flexible spending account, or FSA. However, CVS made the information
available on every ExtraCare cardholder, whether they requested the
service or not. The demonstration not only pointed out CVS's lax
security, but showed how the pharmacy chain is collecting massive
amounts of information on people through it's ExtraCare card.
CVS shut down its email program for several days so it could improve its
security, but not before reporters had a field day. The story was
covered in over 100 media outlets, including CNN, the Boston Globe, the
Washington Post, and the Los Angeles Times.
=====================================================================
LEVI-STRAUSS TAGS JEANS IN MEXICO WITH RFID
=====================================================================
Levi-Strauss quietly started an item-level RFID pilot at one of its
stores outside of Mexico City this spring with an evaluation planned for
this past July. When we caught wind of the scheme, we faxed an open
letter to senior management requesting details, but so far there has
been no response. We'll keep you posted on this development so you'll
know if it's time to say adios to your Dockers!
=====================================================================
AMEX AND RETAILERS TOUT SPYCHIPPED PAYMENT CARDS
=====================================================================
American Express says don't leave home without it -- your spychipped
credit card, that is. They've started shipping out their new see-through
"Blue Card" that features a visible RFID tag inside. Already, CVS and
7-Eleven have begun installing contactless credit card readers at
checkouts in hopes customers will pay for even very small purchases by
waving their wallets or spychipped AMEX key fobs. Credit card companies
Visa and Mastercard are planning spychipped cards, too, and other
merchants, including McDonalds, Walgreens, KFC, and Regal Cinemas have
reportedly signed on to the RFID payment agenda.
We were dismayed to learn that card-free Meijer supermarkets (one of our
favorite retailers) announced Monday they will roll out contactless RFID
credit card readers to all 171 Meijers locations. Their gas pumps will
be spychip-ready early this fall. If you are a Meijer shopper, please
register your concern with the company through http://www.meijer.com/contact/pcaform.asp
or call (616) 453-6711.
(Remember to block your phone number by dialing *67 first.)
=====================================================================
EX-BUSH CABINET MEMBER JOINS VERICHIP BOARD
=====================================================================
Not long after former Health & Human Services Secretary Tommy
Thompson
joined the board of VeriChip Corporation (makers of the human RFID
implant), he began touting implants for all sorts of applications. In a
July television interview, the former Wisconsin governor told CBS
MarketWatch the implant was "a giant step forward to getting what we
call an electronic medical record for all Americans." Just what we need
-- computer chips in our arms and federal oversight of our confidential
medical information. Thompson went on to describe "so many uses," even
suggesting the implant could "replace dog tags with the United States
armed forces."
After espousing the benefits of human chipping, Thompson claimed RFID
technology could help prevent infant abductions from hospitals --
feeding overblown fears about an extremely rare occurrence. Statistics
show that, on average, out of more than 4 million births per year in the
United States, 0 to 12 babies are kidnapped from U.S. hospitals
annually, and 95 percent are returned safely.
Ironically, just a few days after that interview, a well-publicized baby
"abduction" at a hospital in North Carolina was reportedly averted by
VeriChip's RFID infant protection system ankle bracelet. However, the
publicist failed to mention that the abductors were the baby's own
parents who were fearful that the hospital might take their infant from
them.
Note: the Tommy Thompson video is no longer posted, but we have the
footage. We also made a transcript that is posted at our website: www.spychips.com.
Sleepwear manufacturer Lauren Scott must be dreaming if she thinks
spychipping pajamas will keep kids safer. Her company is planning to
market PJs with RFID tags sewn into the hems on the premise they could
avert child abductions. The scheme has parents buying a SmartWear RFID
system (about $500) and installing the RFID readers in key areas of the
home, like a child's bedroom, so an alarm can sound when the spychip
laden jammies pass the reader. Target Corp. has reportedly placed an
order for the pajamas which are due out next spring.
Of course, there are predictable issues with the system, like false
alarms triggered by midnight trips to the bathroom. But that's not
stopping SmartWear. The company is also working to develop other
applications for long-range child tracking, like active RFID tags sewn
into children's outerwear.
Given how easy it would be for an abductor to simply remove the tagged
clothing items, we're wondering how long before someone suggests tagging
the kids themselves with implants.
=====================================================================
TEXAS A & M UNIVERSITY TAGGING STUDENT UNIFORMS
===================================================================
Freshmen entering Texas A & M's military Corps of Cadets this
fall will
find spies in their uniforms. University workers are sewing RFID tags
into the cadets' pants, skirts, shirts and jackets to uniquely identify
each piece and register it to the student. The project and database
loaded with details of cadet garments will be overseen by the school's
RFiD2 Lab, an arm of the university's engineering department.
=====================================================================
UK UNION WORKERS SAY "NO WAY" TO RFID
=====================================================================
Don't tag us! says one of the UK's largest trade unions, GMB. The Union
is demanding the European Commission ban RFID and GPS tracking of
workers, pointing to how the practice can "seriously invade [workers']
right to privacy." A GMB study shows companies are not only monitoring
work activities, but also recording worker breaks and bathroom visits.
The union charged retailers Sainsbury, Marks & Spencer, and
Tesco with
"dehumanizing their workforce" through these surveillance practices.
=====================================================================
RFID LICENSE PLATES TO BE TESTED IN THE UK
=====================================================================
The UK is planning to embed active (battery-powered) RFID tags in
vehicle license plates later this year as a way to monitor vehicle
compliance. The plate manufacturer, Hills Numberplates, claims "A single
reader can identify dozens of vehicles fitted with an e-Plate moving at
any speed at a distance of up to 100 metres."
Highway authorities here in the States are reportedly excited about the
possibilities. One Texas highway bureaucrat, Jerry Dike, was quoted as
enthusing, "We see tremendous advantages to the (e-Plate) for everything
from verifying registration and insurance to Amber (missing child)
Alerts."
No doubt they could find other uses for the remotely trackable plates,
as well. Once the government can identify and track individual cars,
they can track the people driving them and learn a great deal about
their habits. For example, using mobile readers, government agents could
monitor cars entering the parking lot of a political rally, identifying
those opposed to the party in power.
=====================================================================
HOMELAND SECURITY LAUNCHES RFID CHECKPOINTS
=====================================================================
The U.S. Government has begun issuing spychipped documents to visitors
crossing into the United States at five checkpoints on the Mexican and
Canadian borders. That's quite a leap for a technology we were promised
would never be used to track people.
=====================================================================
UNITED AIRLINES EMPLOYEES GET SPYCHIPPED PASSPORTS
=====================================================================
Selected United Airlines pilots and cabin crew are participating in a
three-month trial of the new spychipped U.S. passports. The test, which
started in mid-June, includes 300 employees who make international
flights between the United States, New Zealand, and Australia. The goal
is to evaluate the readability and durability of the chips so systems
can be tweaked before being unleashed on the general public in early
2006. Time's running out to get a privacy friendly passport!
=====================================================================
GOV'T OFFICAL USES CVS CARDS TO JUSTIFY MORE SNOOPING
=====================================================================
Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff is trying to justify the
TSA's plan to collect even more information about airline passengers by
pointing to CVS ExtraCare cards. Said Chertoff, "The average American
gives information up to get a CVS (drugstore discount) card that is far
more in-depth than TSA's going to be looking at."
We agree that the CVS cards are invasive, Mr. Chertoff, but that doesn't
give the federal government the green light to get nosy, too.
=====================================================================
CLEVELAND MUSEUM OF ART TO TRACK VISITORS WITH RFID
=====================================================================
The Cleveland Museum of Art plans to deploy RFID tracking technology
this October to closely observe visitors in order to better understand
how they use the museum. This move won't surprise anyone who has
reviewed the list of museum benefactors that includes notorious
spychippers like IBM, Accenture, and the Cintas uniform company.
=====================================================================
FEDERAL AGENCY WARNS OF RFID PRIVACY RISK
=====================================================================
A recent federal government report identifies RFID privacy issues that
include "tracking an individual's movements; profiling an individual's
habits, tastes, or predilections; and allowing for secondary uses of
information." But agencies deploying RFID are apparently not too
concerned. While three of the 24 agencies surveyed acknowledged the
technology would allow for tracking employee movements, only one agency
identified "protecting an individual's right to privacy" as a concern.
This is particularly troubling since more than half of the agencies
surveyed are either using or planning to use RFID.
=====================================================================
THE MOBILE PARKING SPY
=====================================================================
Government vehicles equipped with license-plate snapping camera systems
are rolling through cities like Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles and
Toronto, looking for scofflaws. The AutoFind License Plate Recognition
system reportedly feeds license plate information to a central database
to monitor not only the presence of vehicles, but how long they remain
parked and whether the drivers are "persons of interest."
RFID could make such invasive spy systems even more powerful. Imagine if
an RFID counterpart to the camera system could roam the streets sniffing
out RFID-enabled license plates and vehicle registration stickers? It
would work in the dark, in the rain, or at 65 miles per hour. Worse,
such a system could be turned to scan the spychipped drivers licenses
tucked in the purses and wallets of passersby.
=====================================================================
LIBRARY REQUIRES FINGERPRINT TO USE COMPUTERS
=====================================================================
If you want to use a library computer in Naperville, Illinois you'll
have to provide a fingerprint scan to verify your identity. While
investigating a lewd conduct report on a library patron, officials
discovered that other users were swapping library cards and using
passwords of friends and relatives to get online. (The nerve of those
brazen criminals!) To prevent such unauthorized anonymous or
pseudonymous web surfing, the three-library system is installing
fingerprint scanners on 130 computers, at a cost to taxpayers of over
$40,000. This will create an audit trail of computer users that can
later be accessed by law enforcement.
Here's to the 99% of other libraries across the nation that value free
access to information and encourage patrons to access the Internet
anonymously.
=====================================================================
MARKETING VIA RFID COMES TO SEATTLE
=====================================================================
Hey Seattle residents! Want to be spammed with personalized marketing
and advertising as you stroll around downtown? To be properly barraged,
you must rent or buy a special active RFID tag from Awarea Corp. Then,
whenever you walk within 100 feet of one of the city's six new RFID
zones, your Awarea tag will trigger overhead speakers to serve up the
kind of information most of us desperately want to escape. As a bonus,
the system also tracks your movements, giving Awarea another way to cash
in: They plan to mine information about participating consumers and sell
it to retailers.
=====================================================================
WE GOT NATIONAL ID
=====================================================================
"Tuesday May 10th 2005 is the day that future historians will note as
The Day America Changed. On this date, the Senate of the United States
of America [unanimously] passed legislation that will bring about a
national ID card."
=====================================================================
US AND BRITAIN TO SHARE ID CARD TECHNOLOGY
=====================================================================
Now that both the US and Britain have plans to impose national ID cards
on their citizens, the countries are working together to ensure that
their systems are compatible. Michael Chertoff, the newly appointed US
Secretary for Homeland Security, said, "I certainly hope we have the
same chip... It would be very bad if we all invested huge amounts of
money in biometric systems and they didn't work with each other."
=====================================================================
TESCO WANTS TO SELL YOU A HOUSE -- AND BURY YOU, TOO
=====================================================================
TESCO, UK's biggest retailer (and target of a CASPIAN-led boycott), will
be undercutting professional realtors by selling houses on its website
for a fee of approximately $100 U.S. dollars. (UK realtors typically
charge a standard commission of one to two percent.) Buyers register
with a credit card, browse available houses online, tour homes
virtually, and then contact the seller directly. While this may sound
good, Tesco's tentacles are beginning to reach into a few too many areas
of the British economy for our comfort.
====
"Shop 'til you drop" could take on new meaning at TESCO. Shoppers can
now prepare for their ultimate demise by putting their loyalty card
points towards funeral expenses at Dignity, TESCO's "death partner."
Dignity, another mega corporation, owns hundreds of funeral homes and
crematories across Great Britain. Sounds like the perfect partnership.
=====================================================================
SCALES THAT PHONE HOME
=====================================================================
Now everyone can know how much you weigh! A new scale will allow medical
professionals to monitor your weight remotely, Gerrye Stegall, a
clinical specialist with American Healthways, Inc., told CIO Insight.
"The devices are wireless and transmit to a phone hub. The patient
stands on the scale, the scale [data] goes to the hub, then into the
phone line, and then the nurses will look at the data." Wouldn't HMOs,
food nannies, and bureaucrats love to have this tool in every home!
=====================================================================
NEW MICROPHONES LISTEN IN ON LONDON
=====================================================================
Now that London citizens have grown accustomed to surveillance cameras
videotaping their every move, the watchers are upping the ante with
microphone-based surveillance. Seven microphones have been installed in
the Soho area of London to monitor sound. While government officials
have promised that "the microphones only activate if noise levels reach
above a certain threshold," this development is ripe for escalation.
Today the government says it wants to hear a crowd, tomorrow we're
betting they'll want to hear a whisper.
Check out the photo that goes with the story.
Keep quiet if you see one of these.
=====================================================================
"RFID" ADDED TO OXFORD DICTIONARY
=====================================================================
The term "RFID" will be among 2,000 new words added to the New Oxford
American Dictionary this year. Drawn from U.S. popular culture,
technology, and news headlines, the new words "reflect the
preoccupations of American culture, the times we live in, and pluralism
of our nation," according to the publisher. RFID joins other newly
recognized words such as al Qaeda, frankenfood, hate crime, supersize,
Amber alert, bluetooth, barista and reality TV.
=====================================================================
CASPIAN IN THE NEWS
=====================================================================
CASPIAN founder Katherine Albrecht has been busy talking with the media.
She was interviewed by BBC radio and CBS Marketwatch to discuss the
VeriChip, reached millions of Coast-to-Coast AM radio listeners with
news about the RFID menace, and did a live one-hour program on Wisconsin
Public Radio just this week.
She was also quoted in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Arkansas Democrat
Gazette, Seattle Times, San Francisco Chronicle, New York Times, and
numerous other newspapers and trade publications. Her work was profiled
in Women's Wall Street and she did an interview in Hustler magazine.
CASPIAN's Communications Director and Spychips co-author Liz McIntyre
has also been spreading the word, with recent radio appearances on the
GCN network and WOOD radio 1300 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. In addition,
she has been quoted in the Chicago Sun-Times and a UPI/Washington Times
story that was featured on the Drudge Report and at Newsmax. Catch Liz
live August 24 on the American Freedom Network from 9 to 10 AM CST, and
August 30 on the Republic Broadcasting Network from 11 PM to midnight
CST.
=====================================================================
CASPIAN MEMBERS SOUND OFF
=====================================================================
I am a retired 30 year elem. teacher... I desire to be informed of all
new technology surrounding us, especially when we don't even know it's
going on!! Thanks so much.
- Anonymous
Excellent site! I too have found that the cards provide no benefits, are
incredibly annoying, and definitely a privacy concern as well.
- Mark in Kalispell, Montana
I find what and where the world is headed very scary, it is amazing how
naive people are as to what is happening and what is happening to
them....I truly believe that we are very close to major happenings in
our world.
- Anonymous
The day is coming when everthing you do is documented and
recorded....It's time for us to fight back while we still can!
- Kurt S. in Urbana, IL
Where does it stop? If each item is ID'ed by RF tags then the government
can track where you are all the time, what you spend your money on, how
much you spend and the list goes on and on and on.
- Norman in Brisbane, Australia
Just wanted to let you know that a local chain (Lowes Foods) will next
month begin allowing customers to pay for groceries via fingerprint! (As
if the card wasn't bad enough.)
- Anonymous in Kernersville, KY
I am very glad I found your site. I had wanted to start something like
this for years. We have to voice our opinions.
- Brent in Hattisfield, MS
Great job! I don't want to become a tagged person. It just reminds me of
the numbers tattooed on the arms of the concentration camp victims.
- Thomas B. in Paris, France
As of now, it looks like the [Real ID/national ID] bill(hr418) has
passed through the senate and will become law... Now what choice does
the general public have? I know what I want and this is not
it, but
what type of network is there out there for people, especially with
families?
- Rebecca in Nampa, ID
Thanks for the information about these stores....I am sick of this card
BS. What happened to us as people? Why do they need
to know or care
about what I'm doing or what clothes I'm in?
- Anonymous in Denver, CO
Our government; our leaders; our politicians are failing us, themselves,
our forefathers, and our future. CASPIAN should be held high as national
heroes of the same degree as our revolutionary political ancestry. Thank
you for your efforts on the behalf of the millions of unknowing.
- Anonymous
I have now had a job at [the Kroger-owned, Seattle-area grocery chain]
QFC for about a month, and I am beginning to understand it a lot more.
QFC has forgotten that they have customers whom they sell food
to....Their employees and customers simply don't matter to them, so why
not take advantage.
- Anonymous
I walked out of Giant & Safeway over cards, years before I
heard about
CASPIAN. It's these cards and RFID chips and everything else
that make
people go off the grid, deal in cash and barter, and refuse to register
to vote....I'll be emailing Giant & Safeway after this to
remind them
that I don't shop there anymore.
- Ahtnamas in Virginia
=====================================================================
MEMBER CORNER
=====================================================================
And finally, here's one that was just too funny to keep to ourselves.
Since card-imposing grocery stores promise to return shoppers' keys if
they're lost, one enterprising protester decided to test the system and
see if they'd return a HUGE keychain. Here's his story.
Dear Katherine Albrecht:
This is in regards to my idea of mailing Kroger keychains back and forth
in order to protest.... I put a massive keychain in the mail April 1st,
and just yesterday I received a call from my local Kroger saying, and I
quote, "We have your rather large keychain here in the store, if you'd
like to come pick it up." I dearly wish you could have heard the sound
of this woman's voice on the phone, but when I went in to get it there
were no questions asked, just "here's your keys."
I'm not sure how much that keychain weighed but my best guess says over
a pound. I have a picture of it you'd like to see it.... Let
me know if
you have heard anything on the legality of doing this, as I would dearly
love to be able to say I've contributed to the cause.
CASPIAN: Consumers Against Supermarket Privacy Invasion and Numbering
Opposing supermarket "loyalty" cards and other retail surveillance
schemes since 1999
You're welcome to duplicate and distribute this message to others who
may find it of interest.
=====================================================================
To subscribe or unsubscribe to the CASPIAN mailing list, click the
following link or copy and paste it into your browser: http://www.nocards.org/cgi-bin/mojo/mojo.cgi
If you have difficulty with the web-based interface, you may also
subscribe or unsubscribe via email by writing to: admin@nocards.org
=====================================================================
Consumer privacy and RFID newsletter
Edited by Sunni Maravillosa and Katherine Albrecht
NEWS:
1- CASPIAN waiting to respond to Marks & Spencer plan
2- Tesco and Unilever fail UK ethics test
3- ChoicePoint still in the hot seat
4- Bank of America loses one million charge card records
5- Winn-Dixie files bankruptcy papers
6- Big grocers "under stress"
7- Store manager loses job for fingerprint refusal
8- Playing with fire: Toys with RFID
9- EU explores consumer privacy protection and RFID
10- U.S. government plays ostrich on spychipped passports
11- Warranty cards: Selling us out at a nickel a name
12- Wireless grocery cart offers anonymous shopper option
CASPIAN ACTIVISTS UPDATE
1- CASPIAN in the news
2- CASPIAN members sound off
3- Tools you can use
=====================================================================
CASPIAN WAITING TO RESPOND TO MARKS & SPENCER PLAN
=====================================================================
British retailer Marks & Spencer recently announced plans to expand
its
item-level tagging trial to include clothing items at 53 stores across
Great Britain. Such item-level tagging violates our call for a
moratorium as spelled out in the position paper endorsed by CASPIAN and
over 40 of the world's leading privacy and civil liberties organizations
in November 2003. A similar violation prompted us to recently issue a
boycott call against Tesco. See: http://www.BoycottTesco.com.
If implemented as planned, Marks & Spencer's trial would be the
largest
retail-driven item-level tagging project anywhere on the globe.
Marks & Spencer has contacted us about the trial, assuring us that
it
has made every effort to accommodate privacy concerns. The company has
told us they will issue a document in the near future clarifying to
consumers exactly how they are addressing important privacy issues
raised by the planned trial. As M&S has a track record of
responsibly
engaging consumer groups on other issues, we're very interested to see
their statement.
In the meantime, CASPIAN is withholding further response to the trial
until we've had an opportunity to read the document and comment on it.
=====================================================================
TESCO AND UNILEVER FAIL UK ETHICS TEST
=====================================================================
Tesco and Unilever have been named as the two worst offenders in a new
ethical ranking of Britain's biggest companies. A survey by Ethical
Consumer Information Systems rated 100 companies on traditional ethics
issues and on the criticism each got from citizens' groups. The
supermarket and household product giants (each of which has participated
in secret RFID trials) both scored only two out of a possible fifteen
points. That's really scraping the bottom of the barrel.
We suspect that Tesco's ranking was not helped by its disregard for the
RFID privacy recommendations of worldwide experts. The resulting boycott
can't be helping the company's ratings, either.
=====================================================================
CHOICEPOINT STILL IN THE HOT SEAT
=====================================================================
News continues to swirl around ChoicePoint's massive security breach, in
which the company sold complete dossiers on 145,000 people to identity
thieves. Now a California woman has sued the company for fraud and
negligence. The suit seeks class-action status:
"The suit seeks to represent anyone whose personal records
were maintained by ChoicePoint from October 2004 through
the completion of the suit, regardless of whether or not
that data was actually released to anyone."
Hmm, that's virtually every consumer in the U.S. -- what a wakeup call
for the database peddlers! In one of the best responses to date, we love
EPIC's call for ChoicePoint to turn over profits from the fraudulent
sales to the victims. (See their letter, linked below.)
=====================================================================
BANK OF AMERICA LOSES ONE MILLION CHARGE CARD RECORDS
=====================================================================
The data peddlers just couldn't stop hemorrhaging in February. Shortly
after ChoicePoint was nailed for selling data to criminals, Bank of
America 'fessed up to having "misplaced" backup tapes containing credit
card information on 1.2 million government employee accounts. Keep it up
guys, your days are numbered.
Imposing a much-hated "loyalty" card on customers is not the road to
financial success, as Winn-Dixie's recent bankruptcy shows. Do you doubt
that? Check the timing on the introduction of the company's card program
and see how nicely it correlates with the start of its woes. You can do
the same thing with Albertsons and several others.
When shoppers' regular market takes to surveilling them with a card,
where do many card-hating shoppers turn for solace? Card-free Wal-Mart,
of course.
*sigh*
While we have little pity for Winn Dixie, a recent public statement
about its troubles reveals W-D execs as even more clueless than we
thought. In the second paragraph, they reassure us that although they're
going bankrupt, "the Company's Customer Reward Card is being honored as
usual."
Far from honoring the card, many believe it should be held in contempt.
One former Winn-Dixie shopper -- a man after our own hearts -- got it
right in a letter to the Florida Sun-Sentinel. He writes:
"Winn-Dixie worked at this bankruptcy. They and they alone
are responsible for their mess. It started with the 'card.'
This was the stupidest idea ever."
We agree wholeheartedly. While the card program wasn't Winn Dixie's only
mistake, the timing suggests it was a major contributor to the chain's
downfall. But will the industry figure this out before it's too late?
Sure, we realize that not everyone hates "loyalty" cards. Some shoppers
may even say they like them. But there are enough of us boycotting card
programs -- and the stores that implement them -- to push a teetering
company over the brink.
The anti-card contingent is smart, educated, and vocal -- and we put our
money where our values are. In today's competitive environment, can
stores really afford to lose our business?
No amount of card-driven "customer insight" could possibly compensate
for the enormous ill-will and loss of business these programs generate.
=====================================================================
BIG GROCERS "UNDER STRESS"
=====================================================================
Pity the poor supermarkets. Apparently Winn-Dixie's bankruptcy has got
others shaking in their aisles. While much of the blame is being put on
cost-conscious shoppers, some are also blaming independents and
"specialty stores" for squeezing the big grocery chains. What's more
likely is that all, big and small alike, are dying off in the shadow of
Wal-Mart.
Notably absent from the analysis of grocery woes is any mention of
customer service, the strong suit of many specialty stores and
independents. We wish they'd also examine the impact of "loyalty" card
programs on customer satisfaction levels. In the competitive arena,
privacy-invading programs are too costly, both in terms of money and
goodwill, to hang onto. We keep waiting for someone to get a clue that
PRIVACY could be the secret to competing with Wal-Mart.
=====================================================================
STORE MANAGER LOSES JOB FOR FINGERPRINT REFUSAL
=====================================================================
A Missouri QuikTrip store manager with twelve years' experience with the
chain has been fired for refusing to switch to the company's fingerprint
system for tracking employees. While QuikTrip and other biometric
advocates bizarrely claim their new program will actually enhance
employees' privacy, Donny Attaway didn't see it that way. He saw it as
an invasion of privacy and decided to quit rather than give in.
He said:
"'Today, it's a fingerprint.' ... 'Some companies put GPS
(Global Positioning System) in your vehicle. Tomorrow, it's
in your cell phone. Down the road, it could be a microchip
they want to implant in your hand.'"
Perhaps QuikTrip won't miss one lone worker. But if all employees who
oppose fingerprinting, GPS tracking, and RFID-card tracking followed
Attaway's example, the resulting talent drain might cause companies to
reconsider such one-sided workplace surveillance mandates.
=====================================================================
PLAYING WITH FIRE: TOYS WITH RFID
=====================================================================
Two new RFID-based playthings have hit the market with a bit of a thud.
First, there's a Japanese doll called Naoru-kun who gets "sick" and
requires spychipped items, including medicine and candy, as part of her
"treatment."
Then there's the soccer ball with a "microchip" that will be tested at
this year's under-17 world soccer championship. Oddly, the term "RFID"
is missing from the story, prompting Katherine to wonder if the acronym
is being avoided by companies concerned about public opposition. (When
in doubt, leave it out?)
=====================================================================
EU EXPLORES CONSUMER PRIVACY PROTECTION AND RFID
=====================================================================
The European Union is taking a closer look at RFID technology and
privacy concerns from manufacturing to deployment. While EU regulations
already mandate certain consumer protections, the working group
determined that others are needed. It has created a Working Document
that addresses its concerns, and is seeking public comment through March
31.
=====================================================================
U.S. GOVERNMENT PLAYS OSTRICH ON SPYCHIPPED PASSPORTS
=====================================================================
While the European Union works to counter RFID privacy threats, the U.S.
State Department continues to play ostrich about the issue, ignoring
public concerns over spychipped passports. The agency has announced that
it will not encrypt the data contained in RFID-enabled passport slated
to be issued starting this year. This move puts travelers at risk for
data theft, and could potentially jeopardize their physical security as
well. (Do you really want people remotely reading your name and
nationality?) Security expert Bruce Schneier says:
"The only reason I can think of [for putting remotely-
readable RFID chips in passports] is the government wants
surreptitious access. I'm running out of other
explanations.
I'd love to hear one."
So would we. Meanwhile, get a passport now or renew the one you have
before the chips start appearing.
The government is accepting public comment on this issue through April
4. Go get 'em!
=====================================================================
WARRANTY CARDS: SELLING US OUT AT A NICKEL A NAME
=====================================================================
[Note: The following excellent piece was researched and written by
CASPIAN member Julia Newman.]
Filling out and submitting warranty or product registration cards is NOT
necessary for a valid warranty. In fact, warranty rights are in no way
affected or diminished by refusing to disclose personal information,
except in the case of some LIMITED warranties. The Magnusson-Moss Act
governing warranty law in the U.S. specifically states that if a company
wants to impose any obligations on customers "other than notifying you
that they need service" those terms must be stated in the warranty.
Granted, warranty cards can be used to notify customers about product
recalls and safety issues, but most cards go directly to data
aggregating firms instead of to the manufacturer and are not used to
confirm the warranty.
And beware electronic registration forms included with computers,
software, etc. Once those forms are completed, they can be transmitted
in "background mode" with no further action on your part. Connect to the
web and your information --along with another bit of your privacy -- is
whisked away. Don't be a gullible participant for the industry "who
can't wait to sell their lists for a nickel a name."
Pay cash whenever possible, keep receipts in a safe place (especially
for big ticket items), read the fine print, and NEVER submit warranty
cards.
Fujitsu has developed the U-Scan Shopper, a wireless computer that
mounts onto a shopping cart and offers a "true 1:1 marketing and
customer loyalty tool." The device helps shoppers find items in the
store while beaming advertisements and offers at them based on their
position or their loyalty card information.
Though the whole "smart cart" idea leaves us cold, we recognize that
some card-free shoppers might want to test out such a device -- and now
they can. Fujitsu's is the first computerized cart we're aware of that
allows a shopper to use it anonymously, rather than requiring a loyalty
card swipe first.
Before you get too excited, you should know that most of these cart
systems enable retailers to pinpoint your physical location and track
your movements as you walk around the store. Even if you start off
anonymous at the beginning of your shopping trip, if you ID yourself at
checkout with a credit card or ATM card, you'll allow the store to
assess your movements retroactively.
One final note: stores with money to burn on this sort of thing usually
have marketing and technology departments that are working overtime --
while charging you higher prices to pay for them. They're also likely to
be surveilling you in other ways that are even more invasive and less
visible than a tracking cart.
=====================================================================
CASPIAN IN THE NEWS
=====================================================================
Since our last newsletter, Katherine commented on RFID for the BBC's
World Service radio program where she was heard by millions of listeners
across the globe; she appeared on several television programs, including
a segment for Fox, one for Canada's CTV network, and a re-run of her
July 2004 appearance on Tech TV's Unscrewed; and her photo and comments
appeared in an Information Age piece on Tesco's RFID initiative. In
addition, Katherine was interviewed by or mentioned by several food,
retail and tech industry publications.
===============
CASPIAN also got a few mentions from the bad guys:
=====================================================================
CASPIAN MEMBERS SOUND OFF
=====================================================================
The following is just a small sample of the huge volume of mail we
receive each week. Comments are edited for brevity, spelling, and
grammar.
-----
"I have 32 years of programming/analyst experience. I can say with
certainty that some programmers include back doors to access databases.
So how secure is our personal information?"
- Anonymous
-----
"The plan to tag children to keep up with them is outrageous! Can you
say 'MARK OF THE BEAST?' Do you want to set the precedent for all others
to follow in your footsteps? To tag children as if they are animals?"
- Kendra, TX
-----
"Thanks for giving the community a place to take back our privacy rights
when everyone else wants to take them away."
- Anonymous
-----
"In the old sense of Americans living in a sea of liberties, you are a
brave American. I admire your stand against privacy intrusion of any
kind. Your respect of individual dignity is supported by your fight
against privacy invasion of shopping cards, RFID's, and rest of that
trash. Above all, your site and its objective simply make good sense to
anyone who views it."
- Brian, Washington
-----
To Gillette:
"My wife, not knowing of your intrusion of privacy, bought [a Gillette
product] this Christmas. You can follow it to the landfill."
- William Wyttenbach, M.D.
----
To Tesco:
"You won't be spending our money on RFID spychips... We'll shop
somewhere else!"
- Mary, UK
-----
Americans are encouraged to read the Proposed Rule for RFID chips in
passports and provide feedback on this dangerous plan. DEADLINE FOR
PUBLIC COMMENT IS 4/4/05.
CASPIAN: Consumers Against Supermarket Privacy Invasion and Numbering
Opposing supermarket "loyalty" cards and other retail surveillance
schemes since 1999.
caspian
CASPIAN NEWSLETTER, 2/18/05 Another Win for Privacy!
=====================================================================
Consumer privacy and RFID newsletter
Edited by Sunni Maravillosa and Katherine Albrecht
NEWS:
1- Another win: No spychips for California school kids!
2- Massive Data Breach at ChoicePoint
3- Casual Male improves customer service without RFID
4- Businesses implementing RFID could face legal battles
5- Share your fingerprint with the retail world
6- Spychips hidden in British university IDs
7- Berkeley: Haven for Birkenstocks, books, and ... RFID?
8- Automatic identification rogue's gallery
9- K-Mart's demise hurts retail diversity
10- World Cup in Germany to feature privacy invasions
11- Tesco talks up "belief" in RFID
CASPIAN ACTIVISTS UPDATE
1- CASPIAN in the news
2- CASPIAN members sound off
3- Tools you can use
=====================================================================
ANOTHER WIN: NO SPYCHIPS FOR CALIFORNIA SCHOOL KIDS!
=====================================================================
Hooray! Your calls and letters added to the heat in Sutter, California,
where the Brittan Elementary school principal and superintendent had
mandated that students be tracked with RFID tags worn around their
necks. Now those kids are spychip-free, thanks to the efforts of
freedom-loving citizens, committed civil libertarians, and brave kids
and parents who just said, "No!"
For the last two weeks, national attention has focused on a small town,
Big-Brother school, and its ill-conceived plan to track kids through
spychipped security badges. Bad publicity, parent protests, the
involvement of civil liberties organizations, threatened lawsuits, and a
torrent of negative phone calls and email finally caused InCom, the
company behind the technology, to call the whole thing off.
Thanks for your help in killing this awful program!
=====================================================================
MASSIVE DATA BREACH AT CHOICEPOINT
=====================================================================
Breaking news from the Washington Post:
"One of the nation's biggest information services has begun warning more
than 100,000 people across the country they may be targets of fraud,
following disclosures the company inadvertently sold personal and
financial records to fraud artists apparently involved in a massive
identity theft scheme.
ChoicePoint Inc. electronically delivered thousands of reports
containing names, addresses, Social Security numbers, financial
information and other details to people in the Los Angeles area posing
as officials in legitimate debt collection, insurance and check-cashing
businesses.
At least 700 victims have had their mailing addresses changed,
apparently by people connected to the scheme, authorities said. Identity
thieves often change the addresses of victims in order to gain control
of credit card offers and other mail. No one knows the extent of the
fraud or the financial impact, authorities said...
Critics said retailers, credit issuers, information services and other
companies have not done enough to protect the extraordinary caches of
personal data collected over the past decade...."
=====================================================================
CASUAL MALE IMPROVES CUSTOMER SERVICE WITHOUT RFID
=====================================================================
Thumbs up to Casual Male for overhauling its supply chain and improving
customer service the right way. The clothing retailer recently updated
its inventory management system and now guarantees delivery of an item
within five days if it isn't available in the store -- or the item is
free.
The best part of the story is that Casual Male accomplished its supply
chain overhaul without applying a single RFID tag to its clothing or
shipping containers. We hope their success encourages other retailers to
implement similar solutions to their inventory issues.
=====================================================================
BUSINESSES IMPLEMENTING RFID COULD FACE LEGAL BATTLES
=====================================================================
Businesses adopting RFID have more to worry about than consumer
backlash, say legal experts. They could find themselves engaged in
expensive court battles if they violate laws governing individual
privacy rights.
At present, it is unclear exactly where RFID chips and readers fall
under existing national, state and jurisdictional laws. For example, is
RFID a type of "electronic communication" covered by the U.S. federal
Wiretap Act? This is just one of the many complex legal questions that
may soon plague the industry as companies inch the technology closer and
closer to consumers.
Until these issues are resolved, lawyers caution adopters to tread
carefully. As Toronto attorney Javad Heydary points out in a recent
column, "Any organization contemplating the use of RFID should start by
ensuring that it is aware of its privacy obligations under different
laws before it starts accumulating data that can come back to haunt it
later."
=====================================================================
SHARE YOUR FINGERPRINT WITH THE RETAIL WORLD
=====================================================================
Lowes Foods, a regional grocery chain, has announced that it's
test-marketing a biometric payment system in its North Carolina stores.
The company's news release states, "There is no cost for customers to
enroll or use the program," as if giving an ID, fingerprint scans,
checking account information, and "loyalty card and age information"
isn't a cost to individuals who value privacy. The report also casually
drops in a mention that once a person is enrolled, his or her data are
shared with all retailers in the BioPay system.
Voice your concerns to Lowes: lfscustomercare@lowesfoods.com
Phone 336-659-0180; or 800-311-2117 (note that calling 800 numbers
reveals your identity to the company)
Fax 336-768-4702
=====================================================================
SPYCHIPS HIDDEN IN BRITISH UNIVERSITY ID'S
=====================================================================
Oops! Someone forgot to tell students at the UK's University of Warwick
about the RFID spychips in their university ID cards. The cards, which
also serve as library cards, are reportedly beaming out identity
information about students without their knowledge or consent as they
pass reader devices at the library and other campus locations.
Because it's shockingly easy to hide an RFID tag in a plastic card,
people need to remain vigilant even in countries like Great Britain
where there are strict privacy laws. The EU's 2002 "E-Privacy Directive"
outlaws the processing of "location data" (RFID data included) without
"the consent of the individual." We'd love to see the lawsuits that
arise out of this one!
=====================================================================
BERKELEY: HAVEN FOR BIRKENSTOCKS, BOOKS, AND . . . RFID?
=====================================================================
In California, the Berkeley Public Library system plans to lay off more
than a dozen workers, while dropping a cool $650,000 to place RFID chips
in over half a million books. Berkeley residents and library employees
have a hard time understanding how RFID will "increase patron privacy,"
since the company doing the chipping is none other than the notorious
Checkpoint Systems, the company recently caught hiding RFID tags in
Calvin Klein and other clothing labels, then trying to cover it up after
the fact.
In response to growing concerns about the use of RFID, The American
Library Association (ALA) has published a resolution on RFID chip usage
and patron privacy. While we're glad the ALA plans to monitor "the
potential misuse of RFID technology to collect information on library
users' reading habits and other activities without their consent or
knowledge," we have a better idea: libraries should steer clear of this
dangerous technology in the first place.
ID World, an annual gathering of "the ID revolution community," boasts a
page on its website featuring "visionaries and pioneers in the field of
automatic identification." We thought you'd like to see who's behind
much of the technology that is so profoundly changing our world.
We are sorry to see privacy-friendly K-Mart go. Sears has announced its
plans for K-Mart stores after their merger: they'll be re-branded "Sears
Essentials," and will feature some of Sears' more popular lines while
keeping the K-Mart focus on daily necessities. Unlike K-Mart, Sears
won't let you get past the checkout these days without pestering you to
give your phone number or register your purchases in a club. We wish the
outcome of this merger were more K-Mart and less Sears.
Recent mega-corporate mergers, including the P&G/Gillette and
Verizon/MCI deals, spell bad news for consumers who value privacy. As
retail diversity dwindles, leaving us all with fewer and fewer shopping
options, it becomes even more important to speak out about what matters
to you. If you want to keep your local no-cards, no-chips stores and
products, you need to reward them -- both in words and with your
shopping dollars.
=====================================================================
WORLD CUP IN GERMANY TO FEATURE PRIVACY INVASIONS
=====================================================================
>From our German friends FoeBuD comes word of disturbing plans by
German
authorities to turn the 2006 World Cup into a mega-surveillance
snoopfest. Application forms for tickets to the football (Americans,
read "soccer") world championship require fans to give up an amazing
amount of sensitive information, including passport number, nationality,
financial information, and birth date. Information is also required for
all others receiving tickets, even if they're not the purchasers.
"Sifting out notorious trouble makers" is the excuse for this
astonishing information grab.
Those fans "lucky" enough to get tickets will be in for another privacy
shocker: They will have "personalized" RFID-chipped tickets that enable
authorities and others to track their movements during the event.
The use of RFID chips to monitor sporting events isn't limited to
Germany. The SuperFest held in Florida in conjunction with this year's
Super Bowl relied on RFID-chipped wrist bands for age verification and
cashless payment.
=====================================================================
TESCO TALKS UP "BELIEF" IN RFID
=====================================================================
What does a company do when faced with a consumer backlash over an
unpopular technology that gives marginal results? Apparently, if they've
invested millions and staked their careers on it, they talk it up so
they're not left holding the bag.
With news of the Tesco boycott hitting the first page of the company's
Google results, Tesco exec Colin Cobain has apparently decided it's time
to call on his industry cronies to "believe" in RFID. In a recent
interview, he said the toughest part of pushing RFID is "getting people
to believe. Because until they believe this is going to be the future,
they are not going to do the right thing."
Deploying dangerous technology that puts your customers at risk is not
the right to do, Mr. Cobain. Shame on you.
Katherine Albrecht, CASPIAN founder, was a featured keynote speaker at
the 6th annual Security & Privacy Conference in Victoria, BC,
Canada
last week. Katherine's address, delivered to a crowd of over 800 privacy
and security professionals, has brought many new members and newsletter
subscribers to CASPIAN. A warm welcome to all!
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CASPIAN MEMBERS SOUND OFF
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"I was on your website a few minutes ago, and had just joined your group
of protestors when I received an email [with an invitation to
participate in a printer survey that would automatically download
printer usage data through the Internet] Now Canon can collect data from
my printer? I love my Canon products, but the company needs to stay out
of my computer." - Barbara, Florida
-----
"Katherine Albrecht's presentation in Victoria BC on RFID chips and
their threat to our privacy was a chilling eye-opener for me. I have
already begun to spread the word within my own sphere of influence. I
believe our only hope is that many others will do the same. Hearty kudos
to CASPIAN for leading this fight." - Tony, Victoria, BC, Canada
-----
"I never, unless forced by emergency, shop at a 'club-card'
store. Who
do they think they are fooling? We consumers are not stupid, you know!"
- Anonymous
-----
"Glad to see a site like this out there. The American public needs to be
more aware of what's going on." - Anonymous, Maine
-----
"I only shop at Publix, where no card is required, therefore there is no
discriminatory pricing. .... I am extremely concerned that data on my
purchases is tracked anyway, however, through my debit card. Visa is now
my Big Brother?" - Anonymous, Florida
-----
"I am disgusted at Tesco's breach of my personal privacy rights. As a
protest against Tesco's actions and apparent total disregard for the
personal privacy rights of its customers, I will be cancelling my Tesco
Clubcard Plus account and will no longer shop at Tesco." - Anonymous
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TOOLS YOU CAN USE
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Need evidence that data collection is out of control? Next time someone
says, "Oh, come on, nobody cares that much about your life," pull out a
copy of the new book by Washington Post journalist Robert O'Harrow,
titled "No Place to Hide: Behind the Scenes of Our Emerging Surveillance
Society."
This groundbreaking book provides incontrovertible evidence that
corporations really ARE spying on you, with a degree of intensity that
will leave you speechless --- and mad. Even we learned a thing or two.
How to get the book?
Support your local, independent bookseller, and preserve your privacy,
too, by buying the book with cash at a bookstore near your home. Click
here to find a store near you: http://www.booksense.com/product/info.jsp?isbn=0743254805
Robert Smith's Privacy Journal web site is an excellent resource for a
wide variety of privacy information. It's easy to read and offers
realistic and practical advice. From the site you can also
subscribe to
Privacy Journal and order Smith's books. Drop by and benefit from
Smith's expertise.
Bruce Schneier's web site is a good place to go for security-related
information. His books and essays are available, and his "Schneier on
Security" web log is regularly updated with news, ideas, and other sound
information, and you can subscribe to his Crypto-Gram email newsletter.
An impressive resource.
CASPIAN: Consumers Against Supermarket Privacy Invasion and Numbering
Opposing supermarket "loyalty" cards and other retail surveillance
schemes since 1999.
http://www.rfidjournal.com/article/articleview/1243/1/1/
Nov. 17, 2004-With an eye to improving traffic management and information access, the Orlando/Orange County Expressway Authority (OOCEA) is deploying an RFID-based traffic-monitoring system in central Florida. The system will use roadside RFID readers to collect signals from transponders already installed in about 1 million E-Pass and SunPass customer vehicles. E-Pass (used on roads operated by the expressway authority) and SunPass (used on the Florida's Turnpike system) are both automatic toll payment methods used in central Florida. Containing a passive 915 MHz chip and manufactured by TransCore, these E-Pass and SunPass transponders are slightly larger than a credit card and attach to a car's windshield. The goal is to implement a system that would trace the travel time of individual cars as they pass the roadside readers, create an average trip time and then disseminate that information to the public.
