Well this news actually broke a week or so ago, but at the time I had other things to write about so I passed on talking about it, and instead I just used this gem as dinner party conversation. But now, a week later, I am way too distracted by bikes like this to write anything new so here it is:
On April 14th the hipster uniform supplier American Apparel, whose catalog also functions as a stroke book for emerging post-pubescent alt. boys, announced that they will be putting RFID tags in their clothes. You can read the full story HERE, but the gist of it is that these little (half the size of a grain of sand) tags are going to be on American Apparel clothing.
The reason American Apparel execs are happy about it is because they will ” increase sales and customer service by having real-time visibility into product at nearby stores, enhancing the intra-store transfer process to balance stock. Furthermore, the retailer will be able to respond more efficiently to market behavior by using RFID to record and report on purchases, not only within one location, but across a region of stores.”
Meaning, they will know when something is out of stock, track what is getting sold and where, track their goods over the supply chain because unlike a barcode which is the same for every product, these bad boys are specific to individual products.
Reasons Surveillance obsessed neurotic people like me are worried:
What this also means is that there is now the distinct possibility of being tracked through our personal possessions.
“When RFID chips are embedded in your ID cards, your clothes, your possessions, you are effectively broadcasting who you are to anyone within range.” Since the products each have an individualized RFID tag the store will log exactly which products you purchased, at what store, and at what time of the day it was purchased.
While there is talk about how the chips don’t have the strength to send signal long distances it is disconcerting that American Apparel will now have it logged that Teddy F bought the purple V-neck crew shirt from the Chicago store on Milwaukee on march 12th 2008 at 3:30 pm.
Over time American Apparel would then collect detailed info regarding your purchase history and then use it to pitch products…bring on the junk mail and personalized advertisements that invade your privacy. God forbid you buy your goods with a debit card or credit card.
Worse however is that RFID tags (drum roll please) could also lead to tracking once you leave the store . Yep, Tracking Don’t Stop. While companies say that tracking stops at check out, they only rewrite part of the code at checkout…meaning you are walking around with a beacon once you leave. While “they” say the signal is not strong enough to track you in the street, it is really weird to think that your consumer identity, personal info like address and telephone number, and financial records are going to be stored in your garment. This is weird cause all it would take is some e-savvy criminal to scan your product after you bought it and then retrieve your personal info, banking info, and patterns of behavior (where you shop).
Basically this opens up the possibility for a new level of stalking and identity theft.
So thanks American Apparel, at least now when you are assaulting me with adverts on your latest polka dot hoodies and making me vulnerable to identity theft/stalking I know your stores will always be fully stocked.
