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IMPLANTED RFID CHIPS IN A SURVEILLANCE SOCIETY CHIPS [IMPLANTED RFID SURVEILLANCE SOCIETY Governments and their agencies in the USA and China are touting the benefits of radio-frequency identity chips for their ability to track, monitor and profile citizens and keep them under control. New Threats to Privacy and Civil Liberties f incorporating personal details into an RFID (radio-frequency identification) chip implanted into a passport or driver's licence may sound like a "smart" alternative to endless lines at the airport and intrusive questioning by securocrats, think again. Since the late 1990s, corporate grifters have touted the "benefits" of the devilish transmitters as a "convenient" and "cheap" way to tag individual commodities, one that would "revolutionise" inventory management and theft prevention. Indeed, everything from paper towels to shoes, pets to underwear has been "tagged" with the chips. "Savings" would be "passed on" to the consumer. Call it the "Wal-Martisation" of everyday life. RFID tags are small computer chips connected to miniature antennae that can be fixed to or implanted within physical objects, including human beings. The RFID chip itself contains an Electronic Product Code that can be "read" when an RFID reader emits a radio signal. The chips are divided into two categories: passive and active. A "passive" tag doesn't contain a battery and its "read" range is variable, from less than an inch (2.5 cm) to 20 or 30 feet (6.1 or 9.14 metres). An "active" tag, on the other hand, is self-powered and has a much longer range. The data from an "active" tag can be sent directly to a computer system involved in inventory control —or surveillance. But as Consumers Against Supermarket Privacy Invasion and Numbering (CASPIAN) together with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) stated in a 2003 joint position paper, "RFID has the potential to jeopardize consumer privacy, reduce or eliminate purchasing anonymity, and threaten civil liberties". ("Position Statement on the Use of RFID on Consumer Products", Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, 14 November 2003, http://w2.eff.org/ Privacy/Surveillance/RFID/rfid_position_statement.php) As these organisations noted: "While there are beneficial uses of RFID, some attributes of the technology could be deployed in ways that threaten privacy and civil liberties: ¢ Hidden placement of tags. RFID tags can be embedded into/onto objects and documents without the knowledge of the individual who obtains those items. As radio waves travel easily and silently through fabric, plastic, and other materials, it is possible to read RFID tags sewn into clothing or affixed to objects contained in purses, shopping bags, suitcases, and more. ¢ Unique identifiers for all objects worldwide. The Electronic Product Code potentially enables every object on earth to have its own unique ID. The use of unique ID numbers could lead to the creation of a global item registration system in which every physical object is identified and linked to its purchaser or owner at the point of sale or transfer. ¢ Massive data aggregation. RFID deployment requires the creation of massive databases containing unique tag data. These records could be linked by Tom Burghardt © 6 September 2008 Posted on 6 September 2008 at The Centre for Research on Globalization website Web page: http:/Awww.globalresearch.ca/ by Tom Burghardt © 6 September 2008 Posted on 6 September 2008 at The Centre for Research on Web page: http:/Awww.globalresearch.ca/ NEXUS ¢ 11 Globalization website OCTOBER — NOVEMBER 2008 www.nexusmagazine.com