Dell cho phép khách hàng của mình để lựa chọn giữa một số các tùy chọn và tính năng khi mua máy tính của họ, chẳng hạn như tốc độ xử lý, số lượng bộ nhớ, kích thước đĩa cứng, vv Trong một quá trình sản xuất phân tán, | PRIVACY ISSUES IN APPLYING RFID TECHNOLOGY 99 tions raised were Would retailers and manufacturers be able to monitor products after consumers purchased them Could the technology be misused by hackers and criminals or be exploited for government surveillance By July 2003 Wal-Mart announced that it was deferring its smart shelf evaluation. The benchmark evaluation had planned to use RFID technology to monitor how many razor blades were on the shelf in a Brockton Massachusetts Wal-Mart. While Wal-Mart declined to explain why it deferred the smart shelf test it reasserted its commitment to RFID. It sent a letter to suppliers telling them it would still require its top 100 suppliers to put RFID tags on all pallets and cases shipped to its distribution centers and stores beginning in 2005. WalMart reiterated its mandate to utilizing RFID technology in its warehouse and supply chain operations. In spring 2003 Benetton Clothing Co. announced that it was planning to evaluate embedded RFID chips that had been placed in the labels of every new garment bearing its Sisley brand in order to track the garment through the supply chain. This set off a storm of controversy among privacy advocates who called for a boycott of all Benetton clothing. Privacy advocates claimed that the embedded chips could be used to link the consumer s name and credit card information to the serial number in the garment in essence registering the garment to the consumer. Further any time the consumer went near an RFID reader device the garment would identify the consumer without his or her knowledge or permission. The controversial Benetton plan to RFID tag garments energized the privacy advocacy community to action. Benetton moved quickly to downplay the RFID evaluation and agreed to remove the tags for retail consumers upon request. While indicating that it planned to go forward with its RFID tag evaluation Benetton quietly reexamined its initial position on RFID tags and has made no decisions .
