In today's Los Angeles Times: Cell phones, RFID, and you..

David Lazarus:
Consumer Confidential
Cellphones to keep track of your purchases -- and you
March 16, 2008


You might not know it, but as of January it became illegal in California for companies to require workers to have devices implanted under their skin that would reveal their whereabouts at all times.

State Sen. Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) called his legislation a safeguard against "the ultimate invasion of privacy." Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed the bill into law in October.

But your privacy may not be completely safe. The same chip-based technology that California won't allow to be forcibly placed under people's skin will soon be ubiquitous in cellphones, which the telecom industry believes will be increasingly used as electronic wallets to make purchases.

Virtually all leading cellphone makers are already introducing this technology to their handsets. Payments by cellphone are expected to explode over the next few years as more stores are equipped to handle such transactions.

More at link, much more:

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-lazarus16mar16,1,3384910.column

:scared:

Have people forgotten that it is still possible to call other people on land lines?

Maybe if people hate cellphones enough, they will stop using them in traffic.

RFID's are becoming a threat to us...

And not just because of cell phones.

Just sayin'...

these IDs, which is a replacement for your normal state driver's license. Another way to track you.

The Federal government is trying to coerce states to accept these by withholding funds.

And it infuriates me no end.

:grr:

:grr:

Put your ID in one of these:

http://www.correctproducts.com/PRODUCTDETAIL/c5369_f7952/ESD_Packaging/ESD_Bags.html

D'jever wonder how they manage to ship via UPS or mail, those highway toll tags? In conductive poly bags. Problem solved.

As are locksmiths, which is why RFID devices are common in automobile keys now.

the idea of being tracked. I am a law abiding citizen and it just scares the shit out of me that our system wants the means to track us, what do they have planned where they will need to track us all?

...and that's why RFID devices are shipped in them.

they do force us to have RFID ID's.

btw.

Al foil would work just as well... Basically any material that would create a Faraday cage around the object.

This is, precisely, the origin of the term "tinfoil hat".

What an excellent idea!

:tinfoilhat:

The "tinfoil hat" is a mechanism for shielding RF. In the case of RFID tags, yes, shielding them with conductive material is sufficient to prevent them from being read.

Cell phones being an expendable item.

They are less and less expendable...

Esp. since phone booths have essentially vanished.

Cell phones are just too damned convenient...

If you are concerned enough you can purchase a prepaid cell for for cash from Tracfone or Net10. No ID required. They are the same company with different price plans.

I'm not in that place...

But thank you for your suggestion!

And...Welcome to DU!

:hi:

Thank you for the welcome.

T-Mobile prepaid is also a good alternative for those who don't talk a lot and are looking to save money. My wife and I pay less than a $100 dollars per year for a cell phone. The choice between Tracfone, Net10 and T-Mobile may depend upon where you live.

cell phones. It's quite common in fact.

Mine would be the first thing I would give up. Wait, maybe cable tv first then the phone.

a total necessity.

...that could be used as credit cards. I think I may have seen this on one of those Discovery channel tech shows, perhaps on "Beyond Tomorrow". I remember thinking that this seemed a great idea and why in the world hadn't we gotten to that point yet. Your warning raises the other side of the coin. The advertisement industry may be chomping at the bit to have our cell phones give us reminders when our fave products go on sale and where to go buy them. Cool post CP, one which made me rethink my position on the future of cell phones. We will likely see this in our near future regardless.

For what it is worth, two items I have yet to be see in common enough practice utilizing cell phone tech: GPS tracking for children, perhaps placed on a bracelet or at least in a 'child-to-parent only' cell-phone. The other is car alarm alerts broadcast out to the car owner's cell phone. I have heard that both of these techs are available currently to some degree but I have not seen either take popular hold yet.

Glad you found this thread useful!

Your two items are certainly interesting, and quite useful as well...

Not all RFID applications are evil.

:hi:

There are various debit cards, but most people here seem to prefer cash for purchases and automatic bank withdrawals for monthly bills.

(The show I think I may have seen it on is called Beyond Tomorrow.) Perhaps I saw and misinterpreted that particular innovation as something in recent use. I actually DID think it was an innovation in use there in Japan. Thanks for setting me straight. Seemed like a good idea when I saw that show but CP has found another side to this I had not considered, so now I am not as enthusiastic over it. That said, I suspect it may indeed be in our near future to find our communication devices performing multitudes of duties to include those duties now performed by our wallets.

I've just never seen one here. I do know they've got cell phones that can act like scanners for some things, so the way things are going, cell phone credit cards are definitely a possibility. I don't think I'd want one, though.

a magnetic strip, like on credit cards that have a load of information on them about us. My new passport has a chip in it. I fear we are already tracked. I wonder if a chipped cell phone will improve on those two items or is this just overkill?

But, as this article states, it could certainly happen.

And that's what scares me.

I won't pay for things with my cell phone, and nobody's going to make me. If other people want to, that's their business.

I won't do that either...

Mine is really for convenience, and for emergencies...

It sounds like another tool for identity thieves and other crooks to exploit.

I like my cell phone just as it is, thank you very much.

I am exactly in your ballpark!

I would never use my cellphone to pay for anything!

Big Brother is always watching.

:scared:

Thanks for the info, CP. I had no idea this was going on!

Yup, Big Brother is always watching...

No surprise there...

The thing we need to do? ...Keep an eye on him!

Glad to be of service, sweetie!

:hug:

about $30 dollars for the phone with a couple hundred preloaded minutes.10 cents a minute for usage....when minutes run low you buy a preloaded card at most department stores and load them to the phone either by phone or online....my brother and I each have one.As far as I know the phones(Nokias) have no gps or rfid chips-but even if they do, as a cash purchase they would have to work harder to tie me to the number...Just sayin'....no landline here...

Thanks for posting!

The phone may contain them and if they really try I'm sure they can tie me to it....the only fun is making the bastards go the extra mile by not filling out forms or charging stuff...

Net10 and Tracfone seem to be the same company. They are "virtual" cell phone companies, as I have heard own not towers but "rent" time from other companies. Here in northern California they use AT&T. Net10 is always 10 cent a minute, Tracfone is more, the price per minute on Tracfone varies depending upon how much prepaid time you buy. It may sound like a no brainer to choose Net10 however check coverage and roaming for where you want to use the phones as this may effect your decision. A purchaser may want to check both websites before buying.

I dont want to make purchases with my cell phone where they can track everything I buy. What the fuck are they thinking? :banghead:

They want, to be optimistic, to know your shopping patterns, so they can target you for new purchases...

But that's just where it starts...

There are obviously issues of privacy and confidentiality as well...

...so he can take good care of you!

Hekate

How could I possibly think anything else? :scared:

Do you expect the least bit of increased security thanks to this latest invasion of privacy?

Why don't I feel safer thanks to the NSA wiretaps?

I do not expect any increased security!

It sure is an invasion of privacy...

The NSA wiretaps are spying on us...

That's why...