RFID: 'Step Back' for Wireless ID Tech?

(from Apr. 08, 2003)

In a move that may have brought unwanted attention to a burgeoning industry, Italian clothing maker Benetton Group said it has not embedded any radio frequency identification tags in any of its clothing.
The group was responding to recent press reports that the company planned to incorporate radio frequency identification tags -- wireless transmitters the size of a grain of sand -- into the labels of its clothes to track garments worldwide.

"Instead of providing answers, they backed out of the deal," one industry analyst said of the unexpected announcement. "It is a step back for the RFID industry."
Like a few other industry insiders, the analyst did not want to be named. Some were concerned that the media had spread misinformation about how RFID tags really work, pushing Benetton to hastily release its statement.
About two weeks ago, Dutch semiconductor maker Royal Philips Electronics said it would provide the chips to power Benetton's RFID system, igniting a barrage of media coverage speculating how the technology would be used. Benetton said the chips' sole purpose was to track its clothes, although privacy advocates feared it could be used to locate customers and market to them.
After one consumer group called for a boycott of Benetton clothing, the Italian company issued a statement on Friday retracting its plans and distancing itself from Philips...

http://www.wired.com/news/wireless/0,1382,58385,00.html