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Listen up, Wal-Mart: "No
spychips!"Protest with us in Bedford, NH on November 5th, 2005.
Let's send a clear message to Wal-Mart: Don't mess with NH. We will not tolerate spychipped products.
<--- We found an RFID tag just like this one affixed to a Hewlett-Packard printer on a shelf in a NH Wal-Mart store this month. Selling spychipped products violates the call for a moratorium issued by CASPIAN and over 40 of the world's leading privacy and civil liberties organizations. You can find more photos showing Wal-Mart's in-store use of RFID here.
RFID poses serious risks to privacy and civil liberties. Wal-Mart is the 800-lb gorilla of the retail industry, and the key force driving the use of RFID today. By forcing its suppliers to invest in RFID for shipments, Wal-Mart has driven hundreds of millions of dollars of investment in the RFID infrastructure.
Photo: © Liz McIntyre
"In New Hampshire we live free!
We don't want RFID!"
Details:
CASPIAN members in New Hampshire will be holding an "awareness raising" event to protest Wal-Mart's use of RFID and to tell the company to stop selling spychipped products.
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Date: Saturday, November 5th, 2005 |
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Time: 3:00 PM to 4:30 PM |
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Place: Wal-Mart, 17 Colby Court, Bedford,
NH (See map and directions below) |
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Please include your name, phone number, and tell us how many will be in your party. |
For more details, contact protest at spychips.com
Who should come:
Everyone is welcome to attend this event. We encourage you to bring a friend, or a whole group of friends. This is a family event so small children and teenagers are welcome. The more the merrier (or mightier)!
If you can't attend the protest but want to offer moral support, please use our feedback page.
What to bring:
While it is not essential, you should try to bring a protest sign. Be sure your sign is legible from a distance. Use bold, black letters that contrast with the background. Your message should be clear, concise, and easily understood at a glance. No profanity, please.
If you're artistic, consider these ideas: "Stop RFID" stop signs, RFID tags with a circle and a line through them, lipsticks (Wal-Mart sold spychipped lipstick), RFID=1984, etc. Signs reading "No Spychips!" and "www.spychips.com" are also welcome.
Check out photos from our other protests for ideas.
Directions:
Our press release:
From NHCASPIAN.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Privacy group to protest at Wal-Mart against controversial RFID technology
Bedford, NH, October 31, 2005 - What do EZ Pass and Hewlett Packard printers at Wal-Mart have in common? A major violation of consumer privacy through wireless tracking devices.
New Hampshire has now started implementing EZ Pass across the state, a system where customer account information is wirelessly broadcast for "ease of use" in paying tolls. As if EZ Pass weren't enough, now Wal-Mart is pushing technology that will allow individuals to be tracked almost anywhere. This is made possible through RFID, or Radio Frequency Identification technology, embedded in the packaging of HP printers at Wal-Mart.
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 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 tagging printers for sale at Wal-Mart. The good news is that they are labeled with the EPC Global symbol for RFID. The bad news is that there is no description of what that means - it's just a symbol printed on the carton."
"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 the practice."
NHCASPIAN is holding an anti-RFID protest on Saturday, November 5, from 3:00 to 4:30pm at the Bedford Wal-Mart. All concerned citizens are invited to attend. A similar protest at the Wal-Mart in Dallas, Texas attracted 75 protestors in October.
CASPIAN, or Consumers Against Supermarket Privacy Invasion and Numbering, is a national consumer watchdog group opposed to supermarket "club cards" and loyalty 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.
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Summary:
What: Protest
against Radio Frequency Identification tags.
How: Protest in front of Wal-Mart.
Where: 17 Colby Court, Bedford, NH.
When: Saturday, November 5, from 3:00 to 4:30pm.
Who: NHCASPIAN, the New Hampshire Underground, and supporters.
Why: RFID is a major threat to a consumer's privacy.
Position paper:
http://www.spychips.com/jointrfid_position_paper.html