Filed under: Accessories, iPod Family
Avoid the Nike/iPod sports kit if you're a secret agent
According to Wired News, the iPod + the Nike sports kit == Big Trouble if you're a spy. A University of Washington reports that "tech-savvy stalkers, thieves and corporations" can possibly track your movements when using the Nike/iPod kit.
The iPod/Nike mashup allows you to track your training progress with a special pair of Nike sneakers that transmits workout data to your iPod nano. The RFID device in the shoes essentially turns your sneakers into a portable radio station, transmitting your location as well as your jogging stats.
The signal can be picked up up to 60 feet away and can apparently be tracked by any Nike+iPod receiver. Since your sneaks give out a unique ID, your signal can be differentiated from other people and you alone can be targeted for surveillance.
In other news, fluoridated water allows mind control of the masses.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Adam said 4:49PM on 11-30-2006
Apparently the KGB has figured out how to make it deliver a small dose of polonium to the blood stream also (too soon?).
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James said 5:49PM on 11-30-2006
Seems as though built-in equipment like, say, eyes would be more effective for tracking pruposes at 60 feet away.
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jason said 8:13PM on 11-30-2006
@1, yes, but it's only been on the news once, so it might be already forgotten.
@2, too funny.
they should hack the rfid in the shoes... like copy the data from an rfid key to the shoes, so you have to be wearing the shoes to get into your car.
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DWizzy said 8:16PM on 11-30-2006
Explaining the importance of privacy is really difficult.
I, for one, wouldn't like to identify myself every time I pass a magic (e.g. RFID reading) doorstep.
It's like printing a barcode on your forehead.
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James said 8:39PM on 11-30-2006
#4 -- And if the Nike+ iPod Sport Kit were implanted in your brain, I can see how that might be a problem. But it's in your shoe...which can (and should) be taken off when you're done with your run.
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Chris K said 10:37AM on 12-01-2006
Sure, you should remove it from your shoe when you're not running. But if you didn't know about this RFID and its potential misuses, would you bother? Maybe some would, but some would not.
Why is it hip to scream "TINFOIL HATS!" every time someone brings up privacy concerns? I shouldn't question the collective naivité of the buying public, but I hope the public doesn't become so blind that things like this are completely ignored, until one day I walk into a bookstore and a kiosk screams out "HEY CHRIS, HOW ABOUT A SUBSCRIPTION TO PLAYBOY!"
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Howard said 6:18PM on 12-01-2006
Except that the chip in your show has NOTHING to do with RFID. It's an active transmitter related to Bluetooth. Yes, any other receiver can listen in, but it's not remotely the same technology as RFID key tags or warehouse package trackers.
I don't have one of these things, but I also don't see that it knows any location information. And if you think about it, if you're within 60 feet of someone wearing one, you probably already know where there are.
This hardly seems like a true privacy issue.
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Kallie said 11:02PM on 12-01-2006
Below is a statement from Nike on the subject:
"Nike takes consumer privacy very seriously. The Nike + iPod Sport Kit features the same level of security as millions of other wireless consumer electronics devices, such as mobile phones, bluetooth devices and cordless phones. Should the consumer have any concerns, the sensor can easily be turned off or removed."
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