[LINK] Technology that exposes your dirty linen

[David Boxall]

This bears on issues raised on Link in the past.  Is it any more 
accurate than previous efforts?

>From <http://www.smh.com.au/text/articles/2008/01/06/1199554485298.html>
. . .
The washing machine of the future may not only wash garments according 
to the instructions on the clothes but secretly collect information for 
telemarketers, political parties and anybody else with an interest in 
people's dirty linen.

The Australian Law Reform Commission says washing machines could be 
fitted with radio frequency identification equipment, known as RFID, 
which stores information and transmits it to a data-processing system.

A discussion paper by the commission on a review of Australian privacy 
law lists the "bugged" washing machine as one of the myriad 
controversial technologies that are stealthily shaping the way we live.

"Some uses of RFID technology raise privacy concerns," the discussion 
paper says. "In particular, concerns arise about the ability of 
agencies, organisations or individuals to surreptitiously collect a 
variety of data related to the same person; track individuals as they 
walk in public places (airports, train stations, stores); enhance 
profiles through the monitoring of consumer behaviour in stores; and 
read the details of clothes and accessories worn and medicines carried 
by customers.

"These concerns are exacerbated by the fact that individuals may not be 
given notice that the products they purchase or the objects they use 
contain RFID tags and may not be given the choice to remove or disable 
RFID tags."

This technology is already widely used: examples include keyless car 
entry; security tags on clothing, CDs and other items in department 
stores that activate readers at exits; animal tagging; timing marathon 
runners; and access control for secure premises.

Increasingly Australians are being bar-coded and scoped. Their 
whereabouts are checked, along with the company they keep. How they make 
money, how they spend it - all is monitored in the name of progress, 
profit and private and national security.

Marcus Einfeld's court case last month provided irrefutable proof that 
nobody is ever alone in a big city any more.

Charged with 13 offences relating to traffic infringements, the former 
Federal Court judge was committed to trial after leaving a spoor of 
credit card, mobile phone and bridge toll transactions and 
closed-circuit television appearances that a bloodhound with a head cold 
would have had no difficulty following.

But the tracking of Einfeld only reveals the tip of the iceberg of 
security and surveillance technology piggybacking on living in modern 
society.

. . .
Data-matching and data-mining allow information generated by people 
doing ordinary things - such as using automatic teller machines, paying 
with credit cards, using shopping loyalty cards or smartcards, writing 
cheques, renting cars or videos, sending or receiving emails or surfing 
the internet - to be collected and collated, often without the subject's 
consent or knowledge.

. . .
For the hundreds of thousands who came to Australia as immigrants, the 
absence of ID checks symbolised the new freedoms they had embraced.

. . .
"CCTV has become so commonplace now that people just don't notice them 
anymore," he said. "When the public becomes aware that a security 
technology can or is being abused or is ineffective, then that is the 
strongest safeguard against governments or organisations abusing the 
technology."
. . .