Jose wrote:
Nobody forces anybody to shop at Wal-Mart. If people are worried
about their privacy, they can simply shop elsewhere. That will
correct the problem quickly.


That works, so long as there is an "elsewhere". As the larger companies
gobble up the smaller ones, the number of "elsewheres" diminishes, and
the power of the individual to affect WalMart by shopping elsewhere
diminishes. It is an unstable slope with a stable end point - Walmart
or nothing.

That was said about IBM before DEC and Microsoft came along. And DEC
before Dell came along. And GM before Toyota came along. And Toyota
before Hyundai came along...


As for privacy, you missed the point entirely. The scenario is: Walmart
requires RFID tags. Companies respond by putting them in all their
products (because it's cheaper to put it in everywhere than it is to
selectively leave them out). So, even if you buy from the corner drug
store, you walk around with an RFID tag on everything.

No, I didn't miss the point at all. The point is you have choices and
can use the free market system to fight back. Will it cause you some
inconvenience? Most likely. The point is that capitalism provides a
solution to the privacy problem, it just isn't as easy as whinning about
the problem.


It's not here yet, but it's very close.

As someone who is working with RFID technology, it isn't as capable as
many in the media have made it out to be.


Matt