Comment by Still on Wal-Mart and Gallo go Big Brother with New Wine Tracker

Wed, 4 Jun 2008 04:41:23 EDT

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Comment by David on Wal-Mart and Gallo go Big Brother with New Wine Tracker

Sat, 31 May 2008 17:23:10 EDT

Let's clarify...this never actually happened. There was a discussion in the works on this, but as is the simple technological fact with RFID, the bar code tag does not allow Wal-Mart or Gallo to track the purchase once it leaves the store (as it is deactivated when it is scanned). Let's say the bottle wasn't scanned for some reason, and you leave the register - it then trips the store's security system as you exit the store. Even if the RFID device remained active after you got the wine to your house, someone would have to be within the proximity of the bottle of wine with the correct device to actually detect and read the tag - at which point they're already in your house anyway. The chances of this 'rouge' privacy eliminating RFID tag having enough transmit power to relay a signal to anyone outside of a 10-foot radius of itself is - well, pretty much impossible. The chance of this tag accessing the internet in your house and telling them where it is - equally as impossible (and ludicrous). They don't need RFID to connect you to that bottle of wine if you pay with debit, credit, or check, especially since they're checking your ID already anyway. If you're carrying a cell phone, you're carrying one of the most reliable, most simple, and most exploited tracking devices in existence. Unless you walk around with it powered off all the time, then your phone emits a synchronization beacon every few minutes to sychronize itself with its communication network (how do you think a phone call gets to the intended phone?). The right person can monitor and collect that data and retrace your steps for months on end. They don't need RFID, they can just track your purchases through your debit card and your movements through your phone. That battle, my friend, has already been lost. And who is "they" anyway? The government? The Russian mafia? Aliens? Wal-Mart? I'm not a nutjob who got my information off of some nutjob website; I'm a computer security engineer. I kinda get paid to know what I'm talking about. Slowly but surely, people are going to realize that the "they" group everyone is afraid of doesn't really exist; it doesn't have to. We're doing a pretty good job of selling off our own freedoms all by ourselves.

Blogcritics Comments on Wal-Mart and Gallo go Big Brother with New Wine Tracker

Comment by Still on Wal-Mart and Gallo go Big Brother with New Wine Tracker

Comment by David on Wal-Mart and Gallo go Big Brother with New Wine Tracker