The positive aspect of RFID is that it allows per-item tracking in a supply system environment. And by per item, I mean that every single item in the world can have a unique identifier.
And that's the problem. Say you buy a shirt at walmart...you buy it on a credit card. The next time you walk into walmart (or a federal building, or anywhere else for that matter) an RFID scanner that's embedded in the wall (and completely invisible to you) reads the RFID chip in your shirt. From the unique id, it now knows who you are.
RFIDs are supposed to replace UPC entirely...so every single item would have an RFID that could be used to track you. Considering the government and private industry's history of violating everyone's personal rights on a whim, I consider this a pretty big deal.
And, up until this RFID zapper, there was no way to destroy RFID tags short of throwing them in the microwave...and that usually destroyed whatever the RFID was embedded in.
*gets off soap box*Statistics: Posted by Satis — Sun Jan 08, 2006 2:03 pm
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