[LINK] Surveillance in extremis

Geoffrey Ramadan gramadan at umd.com.au
Tue Aug 29 23:21:52 AEST 2006


Jan Whitaker wrote:
> At 11:38 PM 28/08/2006, Geoffrey Ramadan wrote:
>>>> I am curious to know if you or anyone else would have the same 
>>>> concerns if they had stuck a simple "barcode" on the bin with a 
>>>> unique number?
>>>
>>> Probably I would have concerns.
>> Are you concerns "heightened" because they use RFID? And if so why?
>
> Glad to see we agree on some aspects of this discussion. But re this 
> question above, probably not all that much more heightened depending 
> on the type of rfid that is used. As with all sorts of technology 
> developments in this basket called surveillance, I'll repeat, it is 
> what is done with the data. Barcodes are problematic if they assume to 
> align with an individual or individuals and the data is collected and 
> matched with other data and conclusions about that individual or 
> individuals are made based on this individual or combined data. 
> Patterns in a population, perhaps, but to extend any conclusions based 
> on some statistical probability is unfair unless it is shown to be 
> 100%. I still reserve the right to be in the tail of the curve at 
> either end in a distribution! (that will make sense to some who took 
> stat 101 at some time in their lives)
This reminds me of "flybuys"... which interesting enough no one seams to 
worry too much about.

>
> I've recently been taken on a tour of the GS1 training facilities for 
> using RFID in production and distribution. Fabulous facility! 
We supplied the portable RFID reader for this.

This is great demonstrator of how RFID will improve supply chain in 
tracking goods (and not people)

> I've known RFID to be used well in libraries for reshelving books. 
> Fantastic application! But when they begin to be used for tracking 
> people and their domestic activities, I put my foot down. Councils 
> aren't exempt from common decency, accountability, and respect for the 
> people who put them in office. And that is what I'm afraid is a 
> tendency in too many communities/governments.
This current debacle also demonstrates how important it is to introduce 
new technology correctly. If they had been following the early lesson in 
the introduction of RFID in the supply chain, and the uproar it created 
(and still does) they could have saved themselves a lot of grief.

Geoffrey Ramadan

>
> Jan
>
> Jan Whitaker
> JLWhitaker Associates, Melbourne Victoria
> jwhit at janwhitaker.com
> business: http://www.janwhitaker.com
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> commentary: http://janwhitaker.com/jansblog/
>
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