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Benefits? To whom???
Could this technology save Wal-Mart money through better inventory control? Yes, possibly but that remains to be seen. Does it really have a direct benefit to the consumer? Not that I can see.

Oh the described senerio at the checkout line sounds good, but it is a very long way down the road, will require huge investments by the retailer(s), and will still have quesionable accuracy that will require human intervention. From my point of view, the benefits to the consumer are questionable at best and non-existant at worst.

However on the filp side, I can see many areas where the potencial negatives are huge and privacy is number one on the list to suffer.

Here's a couple of things to ponder over:

You can rest assured that scanners will be common place for law enforcement people. If for no other reason than to combat shop lifting. So, I've had a bad cold for the last two weeks and have been taking over the counter remedies and tossing the discarded packaging in the garbage. Oops, the squad car is driving through the ally scanning trash cans and to them it looks like you are a drug dealer making meth. Your life is about to take a plunge down hill.

How about retailers that ship to the home? Do you think there is a remote possibility that not all mail carriers are honest? You know that package you ordered in a plain brown wrapping to secure your privacy? It's now meaningless.

Do you think there are retailers out there that would pay the garbage collection agency(s) to scan each homes garbage to see what has been bought, how long you owned/used it, and then sell that information? You bet there is! Especially if its broken down on a home by home basis.

Or how about this, your insurance carrier scans your home or your garbage to see if you are following the doctor's recomendations for diet? Sorry Mr. Carroll, we can't cover you on this illness because our records indicate you ate a twinkie last month and that was against your doctor's recommendations. Naw, insurance companies would never stoop that low. Would they???

Like I said, this is but a few examples and there are hundreds more like them. Yes the potencial for Wal-Mart to save a buck or two is real, but as usual it is the end consumer that must pay for it...
Posted by: No_Ax_to_Grind   Posted on: 01/12/04 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use
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thanks, but...  dpayne@... | 01/12/04
Rivacy is the main point John.  Tim Patterson | 01/12/04
Privacy will work itself out, don't be paranoid.  DonnieBoy | 01/12/04
Sometimes a little paranoia is good.  Tim Patterson | 01/12/04
Ok, I agree, we need to be worried.  DonnieBoy | 01/12/04
This will remove a lot of costs from the distribution channel  NemesisNL | 01/13/04
ID Cards are no place for RFID  John Carroll ZDNet Moderator | 01/12/04
That's exactly the problem..  slopoke | 01/12/04
Government  John Carroll ZDNet Moderator | 01/12/04
Democracy means that you do have a choice ...  coffeenite | 01/12/04
Absolutely ...  coffeenite | 01/12/04
We still need to know how much milk is in the fridge.  DonnieBoy | 01/12/04
We need fridge artificial intelligence  John Carroll ZDNet Moderator | 01/12/04
How about opening the damn fridge door...  GRindinAxTaRupy | 01/12/04
Didn't take you for a Luddite  John Carroll ZDNet Moderator | 01/12/04
That's because I am not a Luddite  GRindinAxTaRupy | 01/12/04
Granted  John Carroll ZDNet Moderator | 01/12/04
What if you are at work, and want to pick it up on the way home?  DonnieBoy | 01/12/04
Why not go the whole route here?  slopoke | 01/12/04
Well, sounds fun, but probably a ways off!  DonnieBoy | 01/12/04
Not that far off  slopoke | 01/12/04
How about opening the damn fridge door...  wploger | 01/12/04
LOL--exactly  GRindinAxTaRupy | 01/12/04
Ok, get rid of the automatic garage door openers too.  DonnieBoy | 01/12/04
Family time...  wploger | 01/12/04
Does your remote or garage door opener transmit its location via satellite?  GRindinAxTaRupy | 01/12/04
To Grinding...  John Carroll ZDNet Moderator | 01/12/04
to john carroll  CaptainObvious | 01/12/04
Some people have families. You don't know what your kids ate.  DonnieBoy | 01/12/04
What a girl wants...  wploger | 01/12/04
Simple!  GRindinAxTaRupy | 01/12/04
And some people need to get their act together  shawkins | 01/13/04
order oldest items first  JWatson77 | 01/14/04
A ingenious Idea  CaptainObvious | 01/12/04
It's a huge benifit  voska | 01/12/04
Devices  FirstNLastN | 01/12/04
Well, a mild charge...  John Carroll ZDNet Moderator | 01/12/04
For clothes and expensive items, the RFID will be in the packaging.  DonnieBoy | 01/12/04
Curious!  theo_durcan | 01/12/04
Yes, it's all a conspiracy  John Carroll ZDNet Moderator | 01/12/04
Microsoft will not be able to control this.  DonnieBoy | 01/12/04
Interesting Wired article  John Carroll ZDNet Moderator | 01/12/04
Or, better yet, change it so only you would know what it is.  DonnieBoy | 01/12/04
Just like the whole fridge concept  slopoke | 01/12/04
I want them disable when I leave the store  voska | 01/12/04
Benefits? To whom???  No_Ax_to_Grind | 01/12/04
If you assume competition, it will benifit customers.  DonnieBoy | 01/12/04
Wal-Mart Competition  wploger | 01/12/04
For once Bitty you are right...  GRindinAxTaRupy | 01/12/04
remove and re-use  JWatson77 | 01/14/04
Consumers stuff is down the line  John Carroll ZDNet Moderator | 01/12/04
Be trusting. Laws will get adjusted.  slopoke | 01/12/04
Good point  John Carroll ZDNet Moderator | 01/12/04
You missed it.  slopoke | 01/12/04
yeah  JWatson77 | 01/14/04
Those are a lot of assumptions...  wploger | 01/12/04
you must get dissapointed a lot  NemesisNL | 01/13/04
Here's A Sick One ...  coffeenite | 01/12/04
To the Consumer  XXX_z | 01/13/04
Theft not Privacy  pixelman | 01/12/04
They don't need RFID to tell you have a new wide screen TV!  DonnieBoy | 01/12/04
Targeted Theft is the Main Issue  markdoiron | 01/13/04
Certainly does not reduce theft  XXX_z | 01/13/04
you will be a major fellon  JWatson77 | 01/14/04
Don't work in security do you?  voska | 01/14/04
as cd prices have shown us  JWatson77 | 01/14/04
re : They don't need RFID to tell you have a new wide screen TV!  JWatson77 | 01/14/04
That's doable  John Carroll ZDNet Moderator | 01/12/04
agreed  JWatson77 | 01/14/04
Boy ... talk about over simplification ....  coffeenite | 01/12/04
The problem is one of trust John.  No_Ax_to_Grind | 01/12/04
privacy is an issue  Lord Talon | 01/13/04
(sorry, hit the wrong key - here's the rest)  Lord Talon | 01/13/04
The Show Stopper is...  n9joy@... | 01/13/04
How to make privacy a non-issue  TVwebguy | 01/14/04
Detect and destroy?  bmeacham98@... | 01/14/04
If it?s not privacy: It?s the economy, stupid!  akrisch | 01/14/04
ms now supports rfid, john now support rfid  JWatson77 | 01/14/04

What do you think?

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