For those of you interested in today's topic of online tracking, here is a related topic that has been getting some press lately--radio-frequency identification tags (RFIDs). You may remember reading recently that Wal-Mart has proposed installing RFIDs in clothes to help keep track of inventory. (Of course, some wonder if that is all they would use the information for...)
Anyway, here is a nice story on RFIDs. Link here: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/09/05/BUCE1F8C1G.DTL
For football fans, see this from 9.5: http://www.google.com/trends/hottrends?q=texas+tech+football&date=2010-9-5&sa=X
Also, I mentioned ways to track what's trending on Google searches, which is known as Google Zeitgeist. Here is a link so that you can find out what people in the U.S. (but also other parts of the world) are googling: http://www.google.com/intl/en/press/zeitgeist/index.html (Trace Cyrus? Really?)
Edit: This story just moved on WSJ: http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2010/09/08/qa-getting-people-to-pay-for-privacy It's a Q & A with the one of the founders of Abine, a company that helps you manage online privacy. For what it's worth, they offer a free program that can be added to Firefox and Explorer that helps you track and control the information that companies capture when you visit their websites.
So, will we eventually have accounts at Reputation Defender and Abine (or companies like them) in the same way that we have auto or health insurance?
Being the ex-tech junky I am I still subscribe to Wired magazine. Originally it was for frequing (free-king as in frequency for phone systems and radio intercept toys) and building blue or white boxes, but has evolved into a legitimate source or information that relates to our field frequently.
ReplyDeleteI suggest checking it out! Wired is where I learned of the office tracking technology that is being developed.
RFID is an interesting technology. If I remember correctly when the scanner is passed over the tag it receives the information because a magnetic field is created, but I believe two-way comm is still minimal. The range is short and the use is limited.
I am sure they will find a way to market it for alternative uses however, because the old-guard bar code market has kept wide-spread applications of RFID in check.
How can it even be allowed that a company that sells just everyday things tracks where there products are once they've been purchased and left the store? To me it seems like a total invasion of privacy. If I bought the product legally then its mine, why should it still be affiliated with Wal-Mart?
ReplyDeleteNow I think its a great idea for in store products that have yet to be purchased. It could help keep precise track of inventory and catch stolen property. But don't we already have the plastic tags that are taken off at the counter and beep if they exit the door? Well then add the tracking device to keep track of inventory, or a stolen product, but once its bought, remove it off MY product.
Again, I think it's important to point out that Wal-Mart says that it will use the RFID tags to track the products in the store only for the purpose of instant inventory control.
ReplyDeleteIt's only privacy advocates who have raised the question of how easy it would be to track products after they leave the store, since RFIDs can't be "turned off" (only removed).
-John Wirtz
I'm with Chris on this one, I think if theft detectors can be easily removed upon purchase, why can these RFID tags not be? Is there any type of regulation on them? Also, we have discussed ethics in class, wouldn't it be more ethical to make sure people know what is going on, as opposed to people feeling uncomfortable about their jeans or underwear? I know it could be viewed as a bad choice to thoroughly inform the consumer, from a Public Relations standpoint, just because there is the likely possiblity that it would be thrown out of proportion and seen as something negative. However, as the consumer, I feel that information about the RFIDs should be more available and clear to the everyday person.
ReplyDeleteI think that it is fine to use RFID tags so long as they are removed before the consumer leaves the store. It sounds like a useful tool for stores as large as Wal-Mart to help them keep track of their inventory.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I don't think that it is a good idea to put RFID tags in student's jerseys. I think that is just going a little bit too far. Like the article said, it could be far too easy for someone to get one of the children's information without anyone realizing they've taken it. There are just too many risks involved in putting RFID tags on children.