NoSSN - CONSUMER GROUP UNVEILS RFID LABELING LEGISLATION

CONSUMER GROUP UNVEILS RFID LABELING LEGISLATION
June 11, 2003

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONSUMER GROUP UNVEILS RFID LABELING LEGISLATION

Proposed "RFID Right to Know Act of 2003" mandates disclosures on

products with RFID chips

June 11, 2003

CASPIAN (Consumers Against Supermarket Privacy Invasion and Numbering)

today unveils federal legislation calling for mandatory disclosures on

consumer products containing radio frequency identification (RFID) chips.

The "RFID Right to Know Act of 2003" would protect consumers against

unwittingly purchasing products embedded with remote surveillance devices.

RFID chips are tiny tracking devices that transmit product information by

radio waves. These devices can be smaller than a grain of sand and can be

hidden in consumer products, making the products remotely trackable. For

example, the chips can be embedded in ATM cards, sewn into the seams of

pants, or woven into shirt labels without their owners' knowledge.

"RFID technology is moving forward at an incredible pace, and there is an

urgent need for this legislation," says CASPIAN Founder and Director

Katherine Albrecht. "Companies have already begun embedding these chips in

products people buy today. For all you know, these chips could be in your

home now. The problem is you have no way of knowing."

Albrecht paints a picture of the implications: â€œImagine walking into a

store and having a computer take an inventory of everything you're

wearing--right down to the size and color of your underwear. Store

employees could even read the contents of your wallet to determine whether

you're a desirable customer or someone they want to ignore based on your

financial value. The possibilities for discrimination are quite

disturbing.â€■

CASPIAN has already called for a moratorium on the use of RFID chips in

consumer products until the societal implications can be addressed.

However, in light of the fact that Wal-Mart, the nation's largest

retailer, is forging ahead with the technology, legislation to protect

consumers is urgently needed.

In addition to requiring mandatory labeling to alert consumers to the

presence of RFID chips, the legislation would make it illegal for

companies to link the chips with personally identifying information.

The "RFID Right to Know Act of 2003" was authored for CASPIAN by Zoe

Davidson of the Boston University Legislative Clinic. The full text of the

legislation and a summary are available for review at the CASPIAN web

site. (See

http://www.nocards.org

About CASPIAN

CASPIAN (Consumers Against Supermarket Privacy Invasion and Numbering) is

a grass-roots consumer organization fighting retail surveillance schemes

since 1999. With thousands of members around the world and in all 50 U.S.

states, CASPIAN seeks to educate consumers about marketing strategies that

invade their privacy and encourage privacy-conscious shopping habits

across the retail spectrum.

For more information, visit CASPIAN's website at

http://www.nocards.org

Katherine Albrecht, CASPIAN Founder and Director: (877) 287-5854

Email:

kma@nocards.org

Mary Starrett, CASPIAN Media Associate: (602) 315-6193

Email:

mstarrett@nocards.org

Zoe Davidson, author of the legislation:

zoda@bu.edu

# # #

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CASPIAN - Consumers Against Supermarket Privacy Invasion and Numbering A

national consumer organization opposing supermarket "loyalty" cards and

other retail surveillance schemes since 1999

http://www.nocards.org

We encourage you to duplicate and distribute this message to others.

==========================================================

To subscribe or unsubscribe to the CASPIAN mailing list, click the

following link or cut and paste it into your browser:

http://www.nocards.org/cgi/mojo/mojo.cgi

If you have difficulty with the web-based interface, you may also

subscribe or unsubscribe via email by writing to:

admin@nocards.org

==========================================================

For CASPIAN's overview of RFID product identification and tracking

technology, please see:

http://www.nocards.org/AutoID/overview.shtml

John Marshall (Chief Justice of the Supreme Court from 1801 to 1835): "Between a balanced republic and a democracy, the difference is like that between order and chaos."

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