Since 01-27-06
RFID tattoos for cattle and people
Since 01-27-06
From: caspian-newsletter-l-bounces@nocards.org
[mailto:caspian-newsletter-l-bounces@nocards.org] On Behalf Of Katherine
Albrecht
Sent: Thursday, January 25, 2007 10:26 AM
To: newsletter
Subject: [Caspian-newsletter-l] CASPIAN Newsletter 1-25-07: "RFID Tattoos?"
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CASPIAN NEWSLETTER 1-24-07: RFID TATTOOS?
Consumer privacy and RFID newsletter
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
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BREAKING CASPIAN NEWS:
* The newsletter is back!
* We've formed a new chapter in Washington state
RFID NEWS:
* Company touts RFID tattoos for cattle and people
* State lawmakers consider anti-chipping bills
* Kevin Ashton on chipping people ("Don't do it!")
* Spy devices discovered in Canadian coins
* U.S. retracts spy coins claim
* Tokyo RFID trial to track shoppers, beam ads
* Thieves steal RFID boxcar tags
* E-Passport: Doorway to the Panopticon
* The CharlieCard Mitten - pay with your right hand
FOOD AND RETAIL NEWS:
* Are your shopping records being sold to politicians?
* Grocer promotes biometric "loyalty" programs
* Retail function creep: Tesco offering medical insurance
* Must-see video on GMO food
* How to avoid pesticide-contaminated fruits and veggies
CASPIAN ACTIVISTS UPDATE:
* Successes and inspiration
* CASPIAN in the press
* Member feedback
* Current action opportunities
* How you can get involved
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THE NEWSLETTER IS BACK!
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A team of volunteers has signed up to work on the newsletter, so it
should start arriving in your in-box more regularly. Thanks to Fran
Ogren and Shanti Mai for working with Katherine Albrecht on this
edition.
If you have feedback or a news items you would like to share with us,
please drop a note to newsletter(at)nocards.org.
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CASPIAN FORMS NEW CHAPTER IN WASHINGTON STATE
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We're excited to announce a new CASPIAN chapter in Washington state. The
group has already made great strides with the leadership of state
coordinator Leslie Simons. We have work underway on RFID labeling and
anti-chipping legislation, anti-NAIS efforts, REAL ID, and more.
If you are in Washington, we'd love to have you join us! Please drop us
a line through the feedback form
(http://www.nocards.org/feedback/index.shtml) and include your contact
information. Be sure to mention that you are in Washington and want to
join the state chapter.
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COMPANY TOUTS INVISIBLE RFID INK FOR CATTLE AND PEOPLE
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A company called Somark has developed chipless RFID tags based on ink
that can be injected into animals. The company claims the tags can be
read through hair from up to four feet away. "It can say where [a marked
animal] has been, who it has talked to, who it has eaten with, and who
else it has been in contact with," said a company spokesman. They hope
humans -- including members of the military -- will be next.
Information Week
http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=196802844
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STATE LAWMAKERS CONSIDER ANTI-CHIPPING BILLS
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Colorado State Representative Mary Hodge has introduced legislation to
make it a crime to require a human being to have a microchip implant in
that state. Similar bills have recently been introduced in Ohio,
Oklahoma, and North Dakota, and we anticipate more on the way. The bills
follow legislation passed unanimously in Wisconsin and signed into law
last year.
Rocky Mountain News
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/government/article/0,2777,DRMN_23906_5286748,00.html
Click here to read the full text of Colorado HB 07-1082:
http://www.leg.state.co.us/clics/clics2007a/csl.nsf/fsbillcont/CBC12C68118CE43787257251007B703D?Open&file=1082_01.pdf
Flashback -- Our May 2006 press release on the Wisconsin bill:
http://www.spychips.com/press-releases/verichip-wisconsin-ban.html
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KEVIN ASHTON ON CHIPPING PEOPLE ("DON'T DO IT!")
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Implanting RFID tags in people is just a bad idea, says Kevin Ashton,
the man who founded the Auto-ID Center and started the RFID tagging
revolution.
(For once we can agree on something!)
RFID Journal
http://www.rfidjournal.com/article/articleview/2769/1/128/
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SPY DEVICES DISCOVERED IN CANADIAN COINS
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The U.S. Defense Department warned American contractors about a new
espionage threat seemingly straight from Hollywood -- coins embedded
with hidden RFID tracking devices...
CBS News
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/01/11/national/main2350404.shtml
Download the report (the coin item is on p. 32):
http://www.fas.org/irp/threat/2006trends.pdf
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U.S. RETRACTS SPY COINS CLAIM
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Just days after confirming to journalists that the coin story was true,
the Defense Security Service takes it all back and now claims there's no
danger of RFID tags in coins after all. (We can't help but wonder what
was really going on here.)
Toronto Star
http://www.thestar.com/News/article/170886
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TOKYO RFID TRIAL TO TRACK SHOPPERS, BEAM ADS
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The "Tokyo Ubiquitous Network Project," running from now until March 10,
will use radio-frequency identification tags, infrared, and wireless
transmitters to identify Japanese shoppers and keep track of their
movements on the streets of Tokyo. The purpose? To send them ads and
coupons based on their habits.
Fort Wayne News Sentinel
http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/journalgazette/business/16497861.htm
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THIEVES STEAL RFID BOXCAR TAGS
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Clarksdale, Mississippi, police are looking for thieves who snatched
computer [RFID] tags from railroad cars. The $75 tags are about 10
inches long with a plastic cover and contain a computer chip that lets
them know what is in each car. Police are stumped as to why anyone would want them.
Sun Herald (Mississippi)
http://www.sunherald.com/mld/sunherald/16383208.htm
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E-PASSPORT: DOORWAY TO THE PANOPTICON
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This in-depth article explains who's watching you when you travel, and
how they're doing it. Includes information about government agency
involvement, international plans, RFID, facial recognition, and more.
Immigration Daily
http://www.ilw.com/articles/2007,0104-scarmig.shtm
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THE CHARLIECARD MITTEN - PAY WITH YOUR RIGHT HAND
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All subway passengers in Boston must now pay with an RFID-laced card
dubbed the "CharlieCard" - no more tokens or coins. To simplify paying
on cold winter days, one commuter has knitted a pair of mittens with a
pocket to hold the card. Now all it takes is a swipe of the right hand
to board the train.
(Link below includes a photo of the mitten.)
Boston Real Estate Blog
http://bostonreb.com/blog/2007/01/17/most-excellent-mitten-ever-read-this-post/
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ARE YOUR SHOPPING RECORDS BEING SOLD TO POLITICIANS?
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Ever wonder what happens to all that information your grocery store
collects when they swipe your club card at the register? Politicians can
now take advantage of this data thanks to a vast information bank
profiling individual Americans. Credit-card data, social-security
information, census facts, magazine-subscription lists, and club card
records are all fair game for political campaigns now, thanks to a
practice known as "microtargeting."
The Province (Canada)
http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/editorial/story.html?id=35a555ca-5304-48fd-afaa-7d78890d8286
(Site requires free registration)
Read how Arnold Schwarzenegger's campaign used consumer data:
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GROCER PROMOTES BIOMETRIC "LOYALTY" PROGRAMS
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Would you ever pay for groceries with a fingerprint? Some executives say
that such technology, known as biometrics, will become more commonplace in the retail industry this year. Biometrics offers advantages over loyalty cards, says one grocery exec, because a fingerprint definitively ID's people and prevents them from swapping cards.
Forbes
http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007/01/17/ap3337036.html
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RETAIL FUNCTION CREEP: TESCO OFFERING MEDICAL INSURANCE
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Tesco, the UK's largest retailer, already offers real estate brokerage,
funeral services, internet access, and mobile phone service. Now they
are offering health insurance, too. This means all those years of
loyalty card data Tesco has collected on its shoppers may finally pay
off for the company. Their HMO division will immediately know whose
rates to raise based on excessive purchases of ice cream and
hamburger.
If we're not careful, retail stores will continue to evolve until
someday they may control all aspects of our commercial lives. This is
not a good trend, considering how dependent we are on them for our very
survival. Too much power consolidated in one place like this can't be a
good thing.
Forbes
http://www.forbes.com/home/feeds/afx/2007/01/10/afx3315970.html
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MUST-SEE VIDEO ON GMO FOOD
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"The Future of Food" is an in-depth investigation into the disturbing
truth behind the unlabeled, patented, genetically engineered foods that
have quietly filled U.S. grocery store shelves for the past decade. It
examines the complex web of market and political forces that are
changing what we eat as huge multinational corporations seek to control
the world's food system...
http://www.mercola.com/2007/jan/11/the-future-of-food----you-need-to-watch-this-video.htm
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HOW TO AVOID PESTICIDES
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Next time you're at the supermarket debating whether to pay more for a
pint of organic strawberries than you do for your lunch -- or deciding
if you should choose that wilted organic celery over the crisp green
conventional stalks -- you might want to refer to the Environmental
Working Group's new wallet-size Shoppers' Guide...
Epicurious
http://www.epicurious.com/features/news/dailydish/110606
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SUCCESSES AND INSPIRATION
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CONSUMERS SAY "GOODBYE!" TO GILLETTE
Three years after its launch, CASPIAN's boycott of Gillette for using
RFID spychips is still going strong. Here are two inspiring letters we
received this week from visitors to our BoycottGillette.com website. The
letters were addressed to Gillette president (and EPCGlobal chairman)
Dick Cantwell -- a longtime advocate of spychips.
Dear Gillette:
I've been using your razor & blades for over 40 years. They
have just been consigned to the bin. Tomorrow I'm introducing
my face to Wilkinson.
- John Mobbs, UK
Good evening Dick,
I just wanted to let you know that you have one less customer.
I read the book "SpyChips". I was shocked at Gillette's audacity
as to the means to track customers. Needless to say, I stopped
buying gillete products and have switched to another brand.
If you would like, I can send photos of the Gillette products
in my trash can and me happily using a competitor's brand.
Actually it worked out even better for me, because the
competitor's I am using feels as good as your brand but cheaper.
Track that.
Sincerely,
R.W.
One Less Gillette customer
Join the boycott against Gillette:
http://www.boycottgillette.com
Send Mr. Cantwell your own letter:
http://www.boycottgillette.com/soundoff.html
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CONSUMERS HALT ARTIFICIAL HORMONES IN SAFEWAY MILK
Grass roots consumer efforts have paid off in the Pacific Northwest!
Thanks to the Oregon chapter of Physicians for Social Responsibility,
all milk sold in Safeway stores in the Pacific Northwest will now be
free of artificial growth hormones. Rick North, who ran the physicians'
campaign, made presentations to companies and coordinated letter-writing by individuals to bring about the change. A Safeway spokeswoman said, "Consumers in the Portland and Seattle area have been very vocal about the issue of rBGH. So this is basically a response to customer
concerns." Kudos!
The Oregonian
http://www.oregonlive.com/oregonian/stories/index.ssf?/base/business/1169178936188810.xml&coll=7
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CASPIAN IN THE PRESS
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CASPIAN Founder Dr. Katherine Albrecht and Communications Director Liz McIntyre have been quoted in newspaper and magazine articles nationwide and appeared on a number of radio programs this month. Here's a sampling:
WQQQ 103.3 FM, Tri-State CT, MA, and NY
WVON 1690 AM, Chicago
Radio Liberty with Dr. Stan Monteith
The Power Hour with Joyce Riley and Dave VonKleist
KSSZ 93.9 FM, Fayette, MO
KTAR 92.3 FM, Newstalk Phoenix
WBAI 99.5 FM (New York City) Fundraiser - Spychips book and taped
interview with Liz McIntyre were offered as premiums in the station's
pledge drive. Hear the entire interview here:
http://archive.wbai.org/pls.php?mp3fil=10113
Dallas Morning News
"Uses of radio frequency ID raise doubts"
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/industries/techtelecom/stories/DN-RFIDsecurity_25bus.ART0.State.Edition1.316b873.html
CBN News (Christian Broadcasting Network)
"The Internet of Things"
http://www.cbn.com/CBNnews/79291.aspx
Washington Times
"Coins used to spy on Pentagon contractors"
http://washingtontimes.com/national/20070112-120719-3869r.htm
Associated Press (AP)
"Pocketful of espionage: Beware the spy coins"
http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/01/11/spy.coins.ap/
This AP story ran in over 300 news outlets including CNN, Fox News,
MSNBC, Business Week, Forbes, USA Today, Sydney Morning Herald, The
Scotsman, China Post, International Herald Tribune, Brunei Direct, CBS
News, Boston Globe, Boston Herald, Hanford Courant, Seattle Times, Los
Angeles Times, Dallas Morning News, Houston Chronicle, Columbus
Dispatch, San Diego Union Tribune, San Francisco Chronicle, Kansas City
Star, Chicago Daily Herald, Minneapolis Star Tribune, Baltimore Sun, and
Salon.com.
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MEMBER FEEDBACK
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As always, we can count on our members to keep our spirits high and
remind us why we do this work. Here are just a few snippets from the
scores of letters we've received this month:
Privacy is like a parachute. You don't miss it until you need it the
most. Thank you for fighting the fight.
- Daniel Forrest in Athens, Georgia
The fight against totalitarianism is on my agenda too. I know I'm
already on their Red List.
- Steven in Rochester, New York
I am feed up with a society that in effect states to its citizens,
conform to whatever contrivance we throw at you or you will be ridiculed
and punished. I am tired of being urinated on and told it's only rain. I
am tired of being bullied into conformity for simply disagreeing with an
obvious infringement on our privacy that has no end in sight.
- Anton in Illinois
I FULLY support everything you guys are about. I want to be a part of it
as well. I have seen this day coming for decades now. It's finally here.
I will NOT take the "mark of the beast." Looking forward to helping
anyway that I can.
- Anonymous in Hattiesburg, Mississippi
I just finished reading the book Spychips. I could not put the book down
until finished. I learned about the book from Aaron Russo's movie
"America: Freedom to Facism." I would be very interested in any effort
that would help the cause to get the word out about RFID. Please let me
know what I can do to help.
- Rich Kinsman in Athens, Pennsylvania
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CURRENT ACTION OPPORTUNITIES
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Anybody up for a protest? If you live near any of these upcoming RFID
conferences and would like to organize a counter-event, please let us
know.
CALIFORNIA
Asset Management Conference & Expo, Feb 21-22, San Diego
FLORIDA
AIM Global Showcase Feb 27-28, Tampa
http://www.aimglobal.org/events/anmgt07/index.htm
5th Annual RFID Journal LIVE! April 30 - May 2, Orlando
http://www.rfidjournalevents.com/live/index.php
WASHINGTON, DC
The official DoD RFID Summit, April 3-4, Washington
BOSTON, MA
IDTechEx RFID Smart Labels USA 2007, Feb 20-23, Boston
http://www.smartlabelsusa.com/
DALLAS, TX
RFID World Conference 2007, March 26-28, Dallas
Keynote speakers: Kevin Ashton, Auto-ID Center Co-Founder, and Robert
Willett, CEO of Best Buy
http://www.rfid4u.com/services/rfidworlddallas2007.asp
UK
Asset Tracking & Management in Defence, Jan 31 - Feb 1, UK
http://www.smi-online.co.uk/rfid8.asp
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HOW YOU CAN GET INVOLVED
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Here are some ways you can help CASPIAN and protect your privacy:
JOIN CASPIAN - IT'S FREE!
* Signup form: http://www.nocards.org/feedback/index.shtml
* Learn more about us: http://www.spychips.com/about_us.html
CONTACT YOUR LAWMAKERS
* Find your local representative at: http://www.house.gov/writerep/
* Send them this article:
http://www.spychips.com/alec-big-brother-barcode-article.html
* Ask them to pass labeling and anti-chipping legislation
SHOP RESPONSIBLY
* Make your purchases in cash; avoid numbered cards and accounts
* Only purchase from companies that do not monitor shoppers
* Boycott offenders like Gillette, P&G, Tesco and Wal-Mart
WRITE, WRITE, WRITE
* Write an E-mail of complaint to companies
* Write your local newspaper, radio host, or TV news anchor
* Discuss the issue in your organization or company newsletter
INFORM OTHERS
* Forward the CASPIAN newsletter
* Link to Spychips.com and NoCards.org from your website
* Distribute books and show our DVDs to friends and family
(http://www.spychips.com/book/spychips-order-form.pdf)
* Arrange to have a CASPIAN representative speak at your next event
* Teach your children the importance of privacy
CONTRIBUTE TIME OR RESOURCES
* Provide a service from your company (printing flyers, bumper
stickers, letterhead, envelopes, advertisement, legal advice, web
hosting, etc.)
* Buy CASPIAN a banner ad on a high-traffic website
PROTEST!
* Start a local CASPIAN chapter
* Get your group (political, social, religious) involved
* Organize a protest
JUST SAY "NO"
* Never give personal information to retailers or marketers
* Get rid of your car toll transponder (it can be used to track you)
* Say "no" to programs that offer "convenience" or "rewards" in
exchange for your privacy
DONATE
We welcome financial help to support CASPIAN's efforts. If you would
like to help us with a monetary gift (we are not a 501c3 corporation),
please contact Dr. Katherine Albrecht:
http://www.spychips.com/media/katherine-albrecht.html
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CASPIAN: Consumers Against Supermarket Privacy Invasion and Numbering Protecting consumer privacy and opposing retail surveillance since 1999
You're welcome to duplicate and distribute this message to others who
may find it of interest.
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To subscribe to the CASPIAN mailing list, click the following link or copy and paste it into your browser:
http://www.nocards.org/cgi-bin/mojo/mojo.cgi
If you have difficulty with the web-based interface, you may also
subscribe via email by writing to:
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