Snafu revives privacy feas about 'smart tags'

[DUreader]

http://www.statesman.com/business/content/auto/epaper/editions/today/business_f3e03640836a107d000e.html


snip


But a slipup by the consortium
developing the technology has
renewed concerns about how
that technology might be used
beyond the stores and
whether it will invade
consumers' privacy.

Auto-ID Center, a research group affiliated with the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology, mistakenly posted confidential documents on its Web site that detail
strategies to counter complaints that the technology will be misused by retailers, the
government or criminals to snoop on consumers.

The mistakenly posted documents, which contain advice from center officials and public
relations firm Fleishman-Hillard on how to "neutralize opposition," were discovered this
week by Consumers Against Supermarket Privacy Invasion and Numbering, a New
Hampshire group that fears the technology could one day be hacked by criminals or
used by the government to keep track of what consumers purchase.

The group pointed to one document detailing a strategy to "Assess consumer reaction if
press develop scare stories and develop best messages to pacify.


snip

[Kellanved]

1. The papers are here

and they weren't on a web page. Besides the whole thing went through the press a week ago.

http://quintessenz.org/rfid-docs/cryptome.org/rfid-docs.htm

[MiddleRiverRefugee]

2. So when will the "RFID-Killer" go to market?

Might be a growth industry, kinda like that spray for your license tags
which keeps re-light cameras from picking up on them.

[Kellanved]

3. That's the catch

To destroy them you have to send a 24-Bit Password, which triggers the self destruction.
This PW can be different for each tag - you have to believe the shop that tag was destroyed and no way to check it yourself.
Of course it will be possible to destroy a tag mechanically , once you found it.

http://quintessenz.org/rfid-docs/www.autoidcenter.org/media/hf_cheap_tags.pdf