CASPIAN launches UK Tesco boycott
Numbering)has launched a worldwide boycott of Tesco in response to
the retailer'sescalating use of RFID on consumer products.
The UK consumer association made the announcement yesterday on the BBC's Newsnight programme. Tesco is the world's third largest retailer, with over 2,300 stores across Europe and Asia.
RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) is a technology that hooks miniature antennas up to tiny computer chips smaller than a grain of sand to track items at a distance. For CASPIAN, the technology raises privacy concerns because RFID tagged items can be monitored invisibly right through items consumers normally consider private, like clothing, purses, backpacks and wallets.
Indeed, a major concern is that the RFID chip could result in every product on earth having its own unique ID. The use of unique ID numbers could lead to the creation of a global item registration system in which every physical object is identified and linked to its purchaser or owner at the point of sale or transfer.
CASPIAN director Katherine Albrecht claimed that Tesco's expansion of its item-level RFID tagging trials "would involve potentially hundreds of thousands more shoppers....it essentially means that more people will be taking home items containing [RFID] spychips."
"That's simply unacceptable," she concluded.
CASPIAN's stance has been supported by a number of recent reports highlighting potential weaknesses in the concept. A survey from Forbes last year suggested that while bringing huge benefits in terms of traceability and access of information, there are still flaws in the concept.
For example, a consumer wishing to pay less for a product could alter the price of a particular product by taking out a hand-held personal digit assistant (PDA) equipped with an RFID reader and scanning the product's tag. He could then replace that information with data from the tag on, say, a €3 carton of milk.
If the checkout stand is automated, then the store's computer system will be none the wiser.
Newsnight correspondent Paul Mason said Tesco was taking theannouncement of the boycott "seriously," and read a prepared statementfrom the retailer intended to assure consumers that the storedid not have plans to track products after purchase.
However, as the Forbes report points out, retailers such as Wal-Mart have been embracing RFID primarily as the next great boost to their supply chains. They, like most companies, aren't yet tagging individual items.
Instead, they are putting RFID tags only on large cases and shipping pallets until the cost of item-level tagging comes down. Wal-Mart claims there is no price information on its pallet tags.
As far as these retail giants are concerned, their primary motivation is building customer loyalty and trust. In driving through these traceability measures down the supply chain, they are putting into place guarantees that if there is ever a recall, then any problem could be contained quickly without losing credibility.
Nonetheless, it seems inevitable that RFID will extend from being primarily a supplier-based technology to being embracing fully by every aspect of the food supply chain. The potential benefits in terms of traceability and complete supply chain integration are enormous. And by the time products on the shelves RFID tagged, the issues of fraud and personal liberty should hopefully have been addressed.
But despite the assurances of retailers and RFID specialists, Albrecht vows to maintain the boycott until Tesco complies with themoratorium on item-level RFID tagging of consumer goods as outlined in a position statement endorsed by CASPIAN and over 40 of the world'sleading privacy and civil liberties organisations.
"We believe Tesco's decision to pursue item-level RFID tagging isirresponsible," said Albrecht. "We're calling on consumers to boycott the chain until the practice is stopped. If people must shop at Tesco, we are asking them to reduce their purchases."
