Albrecht and McIntyre make a staggering accusation in Spychips: that Philips, Procter and Gamble, Gillette, NCR and IBM are conspiring with each other and the federal government to follow individual consumers everywhere, using embedded radio tags planted in their clothing and belongings.
The businesses, who form the center of the RFID industry, hope to wirelessly monitor the contents of consumers' refrigerators, medicine cabinets, basement workbenches -- even their garbage pails, the book claims.
These companies have long insisted they are interested only in making their supply chains run more smoothly.
The authors, who run the consumer privacy rights group Caspian, support their assertions with company documents, records of patents and patent applications, and statements made by RFID industry leaders at corporate events. (Wired)
Spychips a best-seller
Spychips by Katherine Albrecht and Liz McIntyre of the privacy rights group Caspian hit the best-seller list on Amazon.com before it was even officially released. Public interest in RFID technology is clearly on the upswing; will governments respond with thoughtful inquiry and legislation?
