Two Items on Talking Clothes
First, from USA Today: Goodbye bar codes: Packages with transmitters on the way:
Within two decades, the minuscule transmitters are expected to replace the familiar product bar codes, and retailers are already envisioning the conveniences the new technology, called “radio frequency identification,” will bring — even as others are raising privacy concerns. …
Marc Rotenberg, executive director of a watchdog organization, the Electronic Privacy Information Center, said retailers should be required to disable the tags before a consumer leaves a store.
“Simply stated, I don’t think most people want their clothes spying on them,” Rotenberg said. “It’s also clear that there could be some very invasive uses of these techniques if merchants use the tracking technology to spy on their customers after purchase.” …
Ron Margulis, a spokesman for the National Grocers Association, said the privacy concerns are far outweighed by the benefits of RFID. Retailers, he said, could respond much more quickly to product recalls and prevent people from becoming ill from tainted products. “You do give up a bit of privacy but the benefit could be that you live,” said Margulis.
Next, from News.com, Wal-Mart cancels ‘smart shelf’ trial,
http://news.com.com/2100-1019_3-1023934.html?tag=fd_lede1_hed
Wal-Mart Stores has unexpectedly canceled testing for an experimental wireless inventory control system, ending one of the first and most closely watched efforts to bring controversial radio frequency identification technology to store shelves in the United States. …
Despite the privacy concerns, Wal-Mart says it has backed away from in-store use of RFID as a matter of priorities, not over concerns of a consumer backlash. “Technology like RFID is so wide, we’ve chosen to put limits on ourselves to help focus and drive it forward,” Williams said. …
According to a survey it conducted in May, Research firm Gartner said that 55 percent of the consumers it polled would shop in stores where RFID technology is being used if it meant faster checkouts. About 16 percent said they would probably or definitely stop shopping in a store using RFID, and 28 percent were undecided. However, when their payment information was electronically stored, almost half, about 45 percent, said they would be unwilling to shop in those stores.
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