http://news.com.com/2100-1019_3-1023934.html
http://www.wired.com/news/privacy/0,1848,59565,00.html
Two opposite takes on the desirability of Radio Frequency ID tags: in the first, Wal-Mart abandoned plant to implement this technology in each item sold in the store, enabling exact determination of who bought what, following extensive protest from privacy advocates. In the second article, the Euro may have RFID tags embedded in each item of currency.
The privacy implications of the second initiative is staggering, since in theory it would mean that private cash transactions are impossible -- organized crime in particular must view this with disfavour. It brings new meaning into the concept of "money laundering".
However regrettable such "intrusions" into our privacy might be, I suspect we will continue to be unwilling to sacrifice the benefits of the privacy-threatening technology. In any case, the question of "costs" in this case is sufficiently complex to preclude discussion in this entry.
In a related article, research firm IDC reported on the prospects and economics related to RFID:
http://news.com.com/2100-1008_3-5136650.html
Posted by jho at July 10, 2003 08:53 PM