Spychips Protest #2

[Kat Kanning]

Contacts:
  Joel Rauch  (603) 624-5635  joel@nhcaspian.org
  Mike Fisher  (603) 498-7935  mike@nhcaspian.org


From NHCASPIAN.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - NO RESTRICTIONS ON USE OF CONTENT


Consumers fuming about controversial 'spychip' technology at Wal-Mart

Amherst, NH, October 31, 2005 - Joel Rauch has much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving - an RFID labeling bill sailed through the Commerce Committee this week.  But are the gifts he plans to give this Holiday season laced with RFID tags?

"I just don't know," Rauch said.  "I'd hate to give spychips to my loved ones.  But as long as retailers like Wal-Mart are tagging items that customers take home, it's a risk that we take every time we make a purchase."

RFID tags, often referred to as "spychips", store and can wirelessly transmit information through your clothing, wallet, or purse.  Some passive RFID tags transmit data up to 20 or 30 feet.  Others can be as small as 0.4 square millimeters and thinner than a sheet of paper.  A statewide consumer watchdog group called NHCASPIAN (www.nhcaspian.org) is taking the lead to protect consumer privacy in New Hampshire against these tracking devices.

According to Joel Rauch, Founder of the New Hampshire chapter of CASPIAN, "Wal-Mart has introduced item level RFID tagging to the Granite State;  Hewlett Packard is spychip-tagging printers for sale at Wal-Mart."  Recently, Arnie Arnesen revealed such a tag on My TV Prime.  As the cameras rolled, she peeled back an innocent looking sticker to expose the thin Rafsec butterfly tag that served as the antenna for the tiny RFID chip.

"Some, not all, manufacturers are labeling the packages of spychipped items.  One industry symbol is the letters 'EPC' arranged in a cube," Rauch said, cautioning consumers to be alert for it.  "Passive RFID tags can last for years.  People need to be aware that spychips they buy now can invade their privacy for a long time."

Rauch added, "Wal-Mart's use of RFID on these items disregards the recommendation of over 40 of the world's leading privacy and civil liberties organizations who have called on retailers to voluntarily abstain from placing RFID tags on individual items."  In response to Wal-Mart's actions, NHCASPIAN is holding an anti-RFID protest at noon on Friday, November 25th, at the Amherst Wal-Mart Supercenter.  All concerned citizens are invited to attend.

The movement appears to be picking up steam rapidly.  A similar protest in Dallas, Texas attracted 75 protestors in October.  Yet another protest at the Wal-Mart in Bedford, New Hampshire attracted 26 protestors only three weeks ago.

CASPIAN is a national consumer watchdog group opposed to RFID, supermarket "club cards", and programs which track consumer purchasing habits.

"Wal-Mart's item-level RFID tagging initiative is dangerous and irresponsible.  And it's especially worrisome when you consider who Wal-Mart's business partners are," said Katherine Albrecht, founder of CASPIAN and co-author of the bestselling book "Spychips: How Major Corporations and Government Plan to Track Your Every Move with RFID."

"We discovered that Wal-mart's partners - companies like NCR, IBM, Sensormatic, and Procter & Gamble - have developed extensive plans to monitor and track people and exploit them commercially through RFID tags in the things they buy," Albrecht said.

"Current investments in RFID by Wal-Mart and the U.S. government are creating an economy of scale for this technology that will cause an explosion in the use of spychips over the next few months," warned Mike Fisher, an NHCASPIAN volunteer.  "Anyone paying attention is infuriated about it."

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Summary:

What:  Protest against spychips (radio frequency identification tags).
How:  Protest in front of Wal-Mart.
Where:  Amherst Wal-Mart Supercenter, 85 Route 101A, Amherst, NH  03031
When:  Friday, November 25, from noon to 1:30pm.
Who:  NHCASPIAN, CASPIAN, the New Hampshire Underground, and supporters.
Why:  RFID is a major threat to every consumers' privacy.
Position paper:  http://www.spychips.com/jointrfid_position_paper.html

Contacts:
  Joel Rauch  (603) 624-5635  joel@nhcaspian.org
  Mike Fisher  (603) 498-7935  mike@nhcaspian.org


From NHCASPIAN.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

[Kat Kanning]

You know it's supposed to be snowing Friday? 

[cathleeninnh]

Oh, this is going to be fun!

Cathleen

[Pat K]

You know it's supposed to be snowing Friday??

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH I hate Snow.

[Russell Kanning]

Aren't you supposed to wait 3 days after eating a big dinner to protest? .... kindof like swimming.

[Pat K]

Aren't you supposed to wait 3 days after eating a big dinner to protest? .... kindof like swimming.

But then I would never be able to protest!!

[NH Katherine]

I'll be there if it snows -- even if it's raining.
Imagine what a powerful image that would be: "These freedom lovers care so much they stood out in the freezing New England rain when they could have been home drinking eggnog by the fire!"

(Plus it's only 90 minutes and our "Stop RFID" signs are made of waterproof corrugated plastic. : )

-KA

[Dreepa]

Katherine or Joel... can you email me the flyer that you are going to be handing out.
I am trying to convince my wife to go... she wants to read the handout.

[Michael Fisher]

I'm going to be there even though that means I'll only get 4 hours of sleep after work from the previous night.

Even if there's a blizzard, I'll be there.

[Russell Kanning]

Watch out for all the traffic.

[Dave Ridley]

That's the best-written press release of ours I've seen yet, who wrote it?  BTW 70% chance now that I can be there and videotape with Katherine's cam.   Are we going to be lining up along route 101 itself?

[Michael Fisher]

That's the best-written press release of ours I've seen yet, who wrote it?

I wrote it with help from Joel and Katherine.  Some of it was copied from similar press releases.

BTW 70% chance now that I can be there and videotape with Katherine's cam.   Are we going to be lining up along route 101 itself?

We'll be on the sidewalk in front of Wal-Mart, I assume, just like last time.

[Russell Kanning]

The entrance is on a side road, but it all should be busy on Thursday.

[Pat McCotter]

The entrance is on a side road, but it all should be busy on Thursday.

Russell is trying to sabotage the protest!!!! It's Friday, not Thursday!!! Don't listen to him!!!

[Kat Kanning]

Snow no longer forcast for Friday