RFID on Viagra
The pharmaceutical company Pfizer says it's putting radio frequency identification--or RFID--tags on large containers of the impotence drug Viagra. The tags give off electronic signals that help the company keep track of shipments and assure pharmacies they're getting the real stuff and not some counterfeit. Viagra is one of the most counterfeited drugs on the market. But an organization that keeps watch on RFID applications worries Pfizer is not taking enough precautions to protect customers' privacy. They envision the potential for an RFID tag going home with a cunsumer, increasing the potential for a privacy breach. The organization Consumers Against Supermarket Privacy Invasion and Numbering or CASPIAN, is headed by two women. Katherine Albrecht and Liz McIntyre wrote a book together about RFID tags called "Spychips--How Major Crporations and Government Plan to Track Your Every Move With RFID". McIntyre says the tags are fine for the warehouse, but not on the shelves.
In a written statement on its Web site, Pfizer says it's possible but unlikely that customers will get the tagged containers. They also say the tags allow no tracking of patient information.