Originally published January 9 2006
Privacy group fears Walgreens' tracking system will soon be used to monitor consumers
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Consumers Against Supermarket Privacy Invasion and Numbering is objecting to Walgreens' use of radio-frequency ID systems to track promotional displays, claiming that the practice could eventually lead to consumer tracking.
The system, created by Goliath Solutions, uses RFID to track when, how long and where displays are placed in stores, allowing marketers to track results of promotions by store or demographic cluster.
Manufacturers can also time local, regional or national advertising according to when displays are in place and send representatives to stores that haven't put up displays.
Even though the Walgreens installation would not involve placing chips on packages used by consumers, privacy group Consumers Against Supermarket Privacy Invasion and Numbering cites two patents and two pending applications by Goliath that envision extending the system to track individual consumers in stores and target ads to them at home by using RFID chips embedded in loyalty cards.
"I couldn't speculate on the future and I could never say never about anything," a Walgreens spokesman said.
"All we're doing at this point is looking at using this technology to get better performance out of our displays in the stores, and that's it."
All content posted on this site is commentary or opinion and is protected under Free Speech. Truth Publishing LLC takes sole responsibility for all content. Truth Publishing sells no hard products and earns no money from the recommendation of products. NaturalNews.com is presented for educational and commentary purposes only and should not be construed as professional advice from any licensed practitioner. Truth Publishing assumes no responsibility for the use or misuse of this material. For the full terms of usage of this material, visit www.NaturalNews.com/terms.shtml