1.24.2007

RFID zapping

RFID tags are in pretty much everything you buy nowadays. they collect a lot of data which can be extracted when in range of a RFID reader. basically, the object is scanned throughout the delivery process to a store, inside a store, upon leaving the store, after you take it home, wherever you happen to take it. as long as you have a reading device, you (or anyone else) can access this info and the other data stored in the tag. it’s a tracking & monitoring device of sorts. (similar to how they can track every mile you drive in your car and where you are spending those miles to a very exact degree. i believe the chips/tags for this started to be in every vehicle in the early 1990s, but i could be misinformed. however, the information is stored indefinitely………your life private? ha!)

two simple ways you can disable an RFID tag are by cutting off their antennas or by frying them in a microwave for a bit (that is, if you want to risk those microwaves….they give me a massive headache). but what to do when they’re in your clothes or anything else sensitive to scissors & radiation boxes?

why, make an RFID zapper using a disposable camera! (see also here & the following video uploaded by tmmbach)



MAKE magazine also has lots of little articles & links to DIY RFID projects. (just do a search at their site for "rfid zapper")

get zapping!

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