Just as CASPIAN warned, global corporations have begun using tiny RFID
tags hidden in products in ways that invade consumers' privacy.
Gillette is at the forefront of the abuse.
In conjunction with the Auto-ID Center (the industry consortium that is
developing the spy chip infrastructure) Gillette has developed so-called
"smart shelves" that are hooked up to hidden cameras to secretly
photograph customers as they pick up Gillette products. CASPIAN believes
these shelves would be better labeled "spy shelves."
The spy shelves are part of a "guilty until proven innocent"
theft-prevention strategy as follows: The shelf detects when
RFID-enabled packages are picked up, triggering a hidden camera to snap
a photo of the shopper. A second photo is taken at the cash register
when the item is purchased. The photos are later matched. If someone is
seen picking up a product but not paying for it, he or she is branded a
potential shoplifter.
Of course, this wrongly targets the customer who changes her mind and
leaves the product in the checkout line or has someone else pay for it,
like a husband or mother along for the shopping trip.
We expressed our concern about this practice to Gillette nearly three
weeks ago and patiently awaited a response. The response never
came--even after we followed up last week with a certified letter to
Gillette VP Dick Cantwell.
Apparently, Gillette feels it does not need to share details about its
RFID spy tag technology with consumers. It also appears that the company
plans to continue down its ill-advised path of presuming that all of its
customers are thieves until proven otherwise.
In response, CASPIAN is calling for consumers across the globe to throw
away their old Gillette razor handles and switch to a different, more
privacy-friendly brand of shaving product.
Please help us spread the word by distributing this email far and wide.
BOYCOTT GILLETTE!
In freedom,
Katherine Albrecht
CASPIAN, Consumers Against Supermarket Privacy Invasion and Numbering
tags hidden in products in ways that invade consumers' privacy.
Gillette is at the forefront of the abuse.
In conjunction with the Auto-ID Center (the industry consortium that is
developing the spy chip infrastructure) Gillette has developed so-called
"smart shelves" that are hooked up to hidden cameras to secretly
photograph customers as they pick up Gillette products. CASPIAN believes
these shelves would be better labeled "spy shelves."
The spy shelves are part of a "guilty until proven innocent"
theft-prevention strategy as follows: The shelf detects when
RFID-enabled packages are picked up, triggering a hidden camera to snap
a photo of the shopper. A second photo is taken at the cash register
when the item is purchased. The photos are later matched. If someone is
seen picking up a product but not paying for it, he or she is branded a
potential shoplifter.
Of course, this wrongly targets the customer who changes her mind and
leaves the product in the checkout line or has someone else pay for it,
like a husband or mother along for the shopping trip.
We expressed our concern about this practice to Gillette nearly three
weeks ago and patiently awaited a response. The response never
came--even after we followed up last week with a certified letter to
Gillette VP Dick Cantwell.
Apparently, Gillette feels it does not need to share details about its
RFID spy tag technology with consumers. It also appears that the company
plans to continue down its ill-advised path of presuming that all of its
customers are thieves until proven otherwise.
In response, CASPIAN is calling for consumers across the globe to throw
away their old Gillette razor handles and switch to a different, more
privacy-friendly brand of shaving product.
Please help us spread the word by distributing this email far and wide.
BOYCOTT GILLETTE!
In freedom,
Katherine Albrecht
CASPIAN, Consumers Against Supermarket Privacy Invasion and Numbering