Big Brother chips his way into clothing and other consumer goods

Saturday, November 19, 2011 by: Shona Botes
Tags: RFID chips, clothing, health news

(NewsTarget) Privacy activists have confirmed that a major clothing manufacturer has experimented with the use of RFID chips in their clothing. When confronted, they refused to reveal the location where the tests were done. Another manufacturer was severely affected by a boycott when plans were revealed to supply the company with millions of RFID chips. They later stated that no RFID chips were ever embedded in their clothing.

RFID or Radio Frequency Identification uses extremely small microchips to track items from a distance. The data contained on these chips can be connected to the internet. Because of their small, convenient size, they have earned the name `spychips.` While most of these tags can be clipped off of clothing because they are attached to the swing tags in the stores, they cannot be turned off or disabled, and are therefore able to be tracked at any time. Many states have also begun issuing driver's licenses containing these tags, apparently to make border crossings easier while traveling, but they will also enable authorities to track and trace your every move.

This technology will allow virtually anything to be connected to the internet, including livestock, homes, vehicles and clothing. This overall interconnectivity would mean that absolutely every part of our lives would be able to be monitored constantly, which is a severe infringement on individual privacy.

Concerns have been raised that criminals or even unscrupulous marketers would be able to scan people`s trash in order to find out what they own or purchase on a regular basis. This technology can even be used to scan shoppers while they browse through the stores and make purchases and to combine this information with their credit card information, which would enable them to track purchase patterns as well as other confidential information.

These chips can (and probably will) be used to track people in public places like shopping malls, sports arenas, libraries, elevators and even restrooms. Just imagine Big Brother monitoring your every move - from where you do your shopping, which brands you purchase, whether you take your prescribed medication, which schools your children attend or even right down to what amount of toilet paper you use (while in the restroom wearing your RFID-embedded jeans, of course).

Further Reading:

http://www.spychips.com/press-releases/levis...
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-15004063
http://www.greatdreams.com/rfid.htm

About the author

Shona Botes blogs about green living, budgeting, saving money, natural remedies and humour (which is often combined with the abovementioned topics). Her spare time is spent tending to her organic herb garden, cycling and engaging in photography.
Her blog may be viewed here
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