Who Owns Information About You? -- RFID abuse research!

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: Ted Kircher <tkircher () comcast net>
Date: May 14, 2006 12:19:56 AM EDT
To: Dave Farber <dave () farber net>
Cc: Declan McCullagh <declan () well com>, Jim Warren <jwarren () well com>
Subject: Fw: ... Who Owns Information About You? -- RFID abuse research!
Reply-To: Ted Kircher <tkircher () comcast net>

Dave,

While the technology of RFID is still premature and its present scope  
of use
very limited, the general opinion is that its prevasive use is  
envitable.

Hence, my email was intended to consider a probable consequent of the
use of RFID products once its market had matured (initially intended to
replace barcodes) using the same reasoning (terrorism, national  
defense, ..)
to justify gathering telephone call information today.

Hence, what is needed to be done now is challange this reasoning and  
not wait
for EXAMPLES - that should be obvious if the reasoning is not changed.

Btw, similar extrapolations of the consequences of any new technology  
should
be made if the "national defense justifies anything" reasoning is not  
challanged.

PS: I don't think the "beat up the little guy" (Iraq, Iran,  
Palestine,  ....) strategy
      of the U.S. is sustainable without an increasing lost of  
personal information
      (and inevitable abuse/control by our government) because the  
weaponry
      available to individuals will continue to increase. The U.S.  
policies today
      are creating suicide bombers many of whom should be expected  
to lie
      dormat (live ordinary lives, ....) for decades. Their weaponry  
will not be
      archaic dynamite!

Ted
----- Original Message -----
From: Jim Warren
To: dave () farber net ; Declan McCullagh
Cc: Ted Kircher
Sent: Saturday, May 13, 2006 7:57 PM
Subject: Re: ... Who Owns Information About You? -- RFID abuse research!

>... hope some IPers have given some thought on the information that
>will be collected via RFID chips that will be imbedded in every
>applicance we own ....
>
>As such, someone (government agent or ???) can put (shoot a dart,
>...) near your house and collect data on almost every activity going
>on inside - of course for 'national security purposes'!

There has been considerable hand-wringing about RFIDs and their
potential for abuse.  But not much (any??) EXAMPLES of it actually
happening.

Seems like an EXCELLENT "research project" -- for some well-exploited
grad student(s) (thesis topic?!), privacy advocates with free time,
or whomever.

If this IS any REAL threat to our privacy -- let's have some EVIDENCE!

<snip>

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