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Press Release:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Consumer Group Calls for Immediate Worldwide Boycott of Benetton.

Hidden sensors in clothing may fuel global surveillance network.

    An American consumer privacy group has called for an immediate, worldwide boycott of Benetton (NYSE:BNG) following disclosures that the company has placed identification and tracking devices into its clothing products. 

    CASPIAN (Consumers Against Supermarket Privacy Invasion and Numbering) announced today that it will oppose Benetton's plans to place Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) chips into clothing labels intended for the consumer market. RFID chips function as tiny radio transmitters, allowing clothing to be identified and tracked at a distance. 

    According to a joint press release yesterday by Benetton and chip manufacturer Philips Electronics, the devices are "imperceptible to the wearer and remain in individual items of clothing throughout their lifetime." The chips have already begun appearing in Benetton's "Sisley" clothing line. 

    Benetton's announcement sparked an immediate firestorm of concern and outrage among consumers, some of whom liken the technology to the film "Minority Report," where clothing tags were used to identify individuals and target them for advertising. 

    CASPIAN founder and director, Katherine Albrecht, a Harvard University doctoral candidate consumer privacy advocate, warns that Benetton's chips could be used for more than just unwanted advertising. "Benetton could easily link your name and credit card information to the serial number in your sweater, in essence 'registering' that sweater to you," she explained. "Then any time you go near an RFID reader device, the sweater could beam out your identity to anyone with access to the database -- all without your knowledge or permission." 

    This scenario is not far-fetched, according to a 2001 INFORMATIONWEEK article in which RFID proponents predicted a seamless global network of millions of RFID receivers in airports, seaports, highways, distribution centers, warehouses, retail stores, and consumers' homes. 

    CASPIAN is cautioning consumers in all 120 countries where Benetton products are sold to avoid Benetton products until the company publicly renounces its involvement with RFID tracking technology.

Consumers Against Supermarket Privacy Invasion and Numbering (CASPIAN) is a grass-roots consumer group fighting retail surveillance schemes since 1999. With thousands of members around the world and in all 50 U.S. states, CASPIAN seeks to educate consumers about marketing strategies that invade their privacy and encourage privacy-conscious shopping habits across the retail spectrum.

Benetton has always been a leader in retail activism, spearheading many worthwhile campaigns.  As an organization dedicated to helping the world, they ought to realize the implications of this decision.  Please contact them to remind them of what this truly means. 

Further information:

Philips Semiconductors Press Release:

Sisley clothing line example:

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