Here's something scary...
Companies like Wal-Mart, Procter & Gamble, and Gillette are talking about uniquely numbering every physical object on earth with a tiny computer chip. They call the technology RFID or Radio Frequency Identification. The RF part is for "radio frequency," which is how the technology works by invisible radio waves. The ID part is for identification. Essentially they are "spychips." Hooked up to a miniature antenna, they're capable of transmitting information about the objects they're attached to. Companies want this because it will allow them to keep track of their products anywhere on the globe. Wal-Mart would like to be able to scan the contents of a truck without even having to open it, for example. Of course, since radio waves travel through cardboard boxes and shipping containers, this would be entirely possible.
But think about if your competitors or (God forbid) the government got their hands on this technology. Goodbye privacy! Check out this book by Katherine Albrecht and Liz McIntyre. It is very real and very scary.
Companies like Wal-Mart, Procter & Gamble, and Gillette are talking about uniquely numbering every physical object on earth with a tiny computer chip. They call the technology RFID or Radio Frequency Identification. The RF part is for "radio frequency," which is how the technology works by invisible radio waves. The ID part is for identification. Essentially they are "spychips." Hooked up to a miniature antenna, they're capable of transmitting information about the objects they're attached to. Companies want this because it will allow them to keep track of their products anywhere on the globe. Wal-Mart would like to be able to scan the contents of a truck without even having to open it, for example. Of course, since radio waves travel through cardboard boxes and shipping containers, this would be entirely possible.
But think about if your competitors or (God forbid) the government got their hands on this technology. Goodbye privacy! Check out this book by Katherine Albrecht and Liz McIntyre. It is very real and very scary.
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