Consumer Purchases are Getting Tracked Down…at Home?
Beam me up Scottie, Track me Down, and Scan me in. Let’s take a look at new devices that companies are using to track their inventory and possibly their customers. This week Wal-Mart released their intent to use the newest take on RFIDtags for tracking purposes.
RFIDs of the Past?
In case you missed the first privacy outrage over RFIDs, here is the low down. They are essentially tracking devices used on products, animals, and people that use radio waves to transmit locations, also know as Radio-Frequency IDenitification (RFID). Stores starting using these to help with supply chain management as well as to study consumer behaviors in stores. Simply put the item in your cart and your movements can be tracked throughout an RFID-enabled store. So if Mom puts dish soap in her cart, they may find the most common thing after that is laundry detergent and so and so forth.
When RFIDs hit the market, there were a great deal of privacy concerns for consumers. Shoppers felt like guinea pigs in an experiment they didn’t volunteer to participate in all in the name of business. Supply chain management in terms of ordering, shipping, and transporting the goods didn’t run into too many privacy issues. So many companies overrode consumer concern and proceeded with RFID tags that would not be disabled once consumers made their purchase. Once the consumer is out of range, the RFID tag is meaningless, so they claimed there was no future harm for the customer.
Electronic Tags of the Future.
Enter Wal-Mart. The anomaly of a company has now jumped on the RFID tag wagon with a newer electronic version. First it is inserted during manufacturing on removable labels, then the items are scanned in to provide an inventory of sizes, colors, and other relevant information. Within the store, the rows of product are scannable, making it easy to keep track of inventory and when supplies are low. Then when a customer purchases the item and brings it home, they throw out the tag with the electronic chip. Viola!
My Risks as a Consumer
First and foremost, there are major privacy concerns again. In the extreme case, the Wall Street Journal found that there was concern over unethical marketers and criminals would scan consumer’s garbage to understand their consumer choices. Do you really want the company to come home with you? From an ethical consumption standpoint, the issue of waste arises as well. Can we really ethically say that creating an excessive amount of waste just to better manage our supply chains and reduce employee theft is fair? Especially when the creators of the waste don’t typically manage or deal with that waste?
Large retail businesses and technology firms are touting this product as a must, and once Wal-Mart buys in, the price will be reduced to nearly nothing at all. But is the non-monetary price worth it? More mining for parts, increased labor in regions where there are little to no standards enforced, and an excessive amount of ewaste that they suggest be put in the landfill when it is borderline e-waste. Perhaps privacy shouldn’t be our only concern…
For more information, read the article in the Wall Street Journal.
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