Source: Consumer Affairs
To hear retailers and suppliers tell it, radio frequency identifier (”RFID”) tags — also known as “spy chips” — are the way of the future, a means to effectively control inventory and track merchandise from end-to-end. Despite criticism about the lack of privacy protection and potential for misuse in the technology, many retail chains and finance giants are going full-bore with plans to implement RFID technology in all manner of products. However, some businesses such as Wal-Mart, DHL, and American Express have recently announced plans to move more slowly, leaving the impression that wide-scale adoption of RFID may not be as imminent as originally thought. In the case of American Express, the plans were apparently changed because of the potentially harmful side effects to consumers’ privacy. [more]

Even one of the most ardent boosters of RFID technology may be changing his tune. Tommy Thompson, former secretary of Health and Human Services and now a board member of RFID manufacturer VeriChip, quietly announced his resignation from the board on March 8th. VeriChip’s disclosure claimed Thompson wanted to devote all of his attention to his recently-announced — though little noticed — candidacy for President. Thompson had been an advocate of implanting RFID chips into all military personnel in order to better access their medical histories, and had repeatedly promised to get a chip for himself, but was not known to have done so before he stepped down from the VeriChip board.