Microchips Everywhere: a Future Vision

Woot. Instant customized brainwashing.

Stalin would be proud.

all hail quantum
all hail quantum
all hail quantum

Stuff like this bothers me. As pointed out in the article, information on individual consumers is golden to companies. It allows them to predict what customers will do based on their past actions. The more data the companies have, the better their predictions. The better their predictions, the more money they make. Because of that they will not stop increasing their consumer surveillance programs unless they are forced to.

The problem is that governments, both dictatorial in nature and democratic in nature, also have a vested interest tagging and observing the populations of their countries. For dictatorships there is no better way to control a populous than to watch their every move. For democracies, well, technically they should have no reason to watch, but with the War on Terror campaign of fear out in full force, they feel like they should. Because governments have an interest in seeing this kind of system in place, I can't see them doing anything to stop its creeping step-by-step installation.

The thing is, if these systems were used properly then they would be of no concern to us. Companies would make money and governments could track criminals. Great. Good for them. But any all-encompassing open tracking system like this is so susceptible to abuse from so many different places that it would be impossible to control.

Even if you could guarantee that governments and corporations wouldn't abuse such a system, you could never do the same for organized crime rings, or even teenage crackers.

It's all well and good to say that "police could use this system to track criminals". But what about "criminals could use this system to track police, and their targets". THAT is what is most worrying.

The largest protection against federal intrusion in our lives is to reduce the size and scope of the federal government. Businesses risk loss of customers from misbehaving, but governments don't fear the loss of citizens.

Vote Ron Paul and then you won't need to worry so much about federal intrusion.

thats horrific

Use a penknife and scrape off the RFID tags.

nibud;
if they're not concealed.

Put a little EMP generator near/past the checkout counter, so the chips can be destroyed by the customer after paying. And in the home, so personal items can be "cleaned".

Also, you could have a personal RF interference device with you to prevent snooping.

Aren't RF jammers illegal? I think they are. Not only illegal, but very illegal.

Watch a whole new industry spring up - detecting and destroying these things. I won't tolerate this, and neither will a lot of other people. If some companies are making with chips, and others without, market pressure should put an end to this quickly as the word gets out and sales of items with chips plummet. And to those who want this police state, all I have to say is "chip this, [expletive redacted]."

@gopher65 - "When RF jammers are outlawed, only outlaws will have RF jammers." Phhhhhhhhht. :oP~

I'll be content with thrift shops, old cars, and food co-ops. They'll be looking at you thru your tv soon. Yes, vote for Ron Paul. Libertarians would hang these goons by the rope until they were dead.

This ron paul rubbish is getting very very old. That imbecile wants to legalize heroin and have handguns in schools. He doesn't mind companies doing every nasty thing you don't want the government to do. This simpleminded belief in corporations being better than government is ludicrous. The East India company has resulted in Pakistan/India or the London plantation company which tried to rename Derry to londonderry which worked out so well. Haliburtons private war in Iraq hasn't worked out so they moved their money and HQ to Saudi Arabia.

As someone who actually knows a thing or two about this technology (I create the bloody stuff!) here is the way things really are;

1)There presently exist no mass-produced rfid tags which are capable of being detected more than a few hundred meters away. The power source, usually a small Lithium battery, would be incapable of supplying enough juice for that kind of range. Not to mention the FCC's stringent rules for RFID tags, which limit their output power to sub milli-Watts.
2)Each manufacturer has its own encryption format- active rfid, for the most part, has remained non-standardized due to each manufacturer's wish to control usage of their products.
Reception of the signals is quite easy, however, the proprietary encryption renders the data quite useless, I assure you.
3)Nilbud is quite right, in that passive tags can eaily be irradicated by breaking the lines conductive ink with a sharp object.

4)Hopefully the price of Active tags will remain high enough so that nobody will be tempted to leave them on the merchandise after it has be sold. There is where MY worries would begin.

But for the time being gents, there is nothing to worry about. McIntyre's take on the industry are as an outsider who has perhaps watched too many Star Trek episodes.

Quantum_Conundrum:
"Woot. Instant customized brainwashing."
---
Nobody will need to be brainwashed; that's the whole point. Everyone has buttons that can be pushed, desires to be catered to, beliefs to inspire zeal, etc. which can already be exploited to get almost any desired behavior. Just ask any skilled con man.
We'll stay satisfied and happily, sleepily manipulated. It's not "1984"; it's "Brave New World." One example: Television. TV became a "vast wasteland" not by trying to brainwash us but by giving us exactly what, according to ratings, most of us really want: escapes, diversions.

Of course there will always be some malcontents. But the same technology that keeps the sheep sleepy can keep the dogs in check too.

"...RFID tags can be read through almost anything except metal and water..."
---

"...Star fish and giant foams greet us with a smile
Before our heads go under we take a last look at the killing noise of the out of style..."

And by all means let's "downsize" this silly constitutional republic, with it's inane Bill of Rights, cumbersome due process and absurd so-called "democratic process" to the point of insignificance and place all power in the unquestionable benevolence, care and mercy of unbridled corporate capitalism.
If we do succeed in getting this government - the one granted to us by the founders - "out of our lives" exactly what will replace it?

They would only be for us peasants,could you imagine anyone with real money or political clout accepting any personal checks or limitations?Who would watch the watchers?

yes forget Ron Paul - go with the War Parties whose sense and accomplishments have brought peace and prosperity to Amerika.

Ron Paul's position is not corporate and capitalism. His position is that if you agree to something, you should show some integrity and live up to your agreement.

The Constitution is our agreement with our federal government. It is supposed to limit the federal government but we have allowed the federal government to extend WAY beyond its scope. It's time to retract it to the agreed scope.

Federal projects that extend beyond its scope are better left to the States. Ron Paul is not against government, he's against government that is not authorized by the Constitution.

Read the Constitution. It is a simple document and outlines some very specific (and a few vague) responsibilities that we have laid upon our federal government. Other responsibilities are left to the States or the People.

Do not misread Ron Paul's desire for retraction of the Federal Government for desire for no government. He is not an anarchist, he's a man who has integrity and expects people, corporations, and government to live up to their agreements.

And finally, about those who say Ron Paul is an "isolationist" tell me this. Do you send your spouse to live in your neighbor's home? No, you don't. But that doesn't make you an isolationist in your neighborhood. Ron Paul wants our military out of other countries, and wants free trade with EVERYONE.

But if the USA were to get the military out of other countries, how would the US Gov't spread the dream of democracy and freedom to unwilling world leaders? (yes, the sarchasm is worth the low ratings...)