Am I the only one who read this and immediately thought of that scene in _Fight Club_ where they use the bulk eraser to blank out an entire video rental store of tapes? Because if you were to, say, wander through the media section of your local store with an RFID disruptor going off in your pocket you could wreak a fair bit of havoc, and probably without anyone noticing until they went to purchase one of the damaged discs. Granted, theft is prevented, but there are quite a few people out there motivated as much by malice (or by a challenge, real or perceived) as by greed.
It seems likely, given the footprint of optical media, that the RFID device is passive - so a simple disruptor such as one made from a disposable camera ( http://events.ccc.de/congress/2005/wiki/RFID-Zapper(EN) ) would work fine. If not, then you have to get more sophisticated. Either seems well within the reach of bored, bright vandals.
All of this is giving them a fair amount of credit and assuming that the actual PKE system, along with the rest of the security system, is otherwise sound - not something I've come to expect from the entertainment industry in general.
All in all - A for effort, but I'll hold off on giving out a final passing grade until I see how well it holds up in the real world. Assuming the basic system holds up, it will probbly be a net benefit. However, the retailers should be prepared the possibility of a shift of threats as opposed to a mere elimination of lossage.
Register
Possible repercussions
Am I the only one who read this and immediately thought of that scene in _Fight Club_ where they use the bulk eraser to blank out an entire video rental store of tapes? Because if you were to, say, wander through the media section of your local store with an RFID disruptor going off in your pocket you could wreak a fair bit of havoc, and probably without anyone noticing until they went to purchase one of the damaged discs. Granted, theft is prevented, but there are quite a few people out there motivated as much by malice (or by a challenge, real or perceived) as by greed.
It seems likely, given the footprint of optical media, that the RFID device is passive - so a simple disruptor such as one made from a disposable camera ( http://events.ccc.de/congress/2005/wiki/RFID-Zapper(EN) ) would work fine. If not, then you have to get more sophisticated. Either seems well within the reach of bored, bright vandals.
All of this is giving them a fair amount of credit and assuming that the actual PKE system, along with the rest of the security system, is otherwise sound - not something I've come to expect from the entertainment industry in general.
All in all - A for effort, but I'll hold off on giving out a final passing grade until I see how well it holds up in the real world. Assuming the basic system holds up, it will probbly be a net benefit. However, the retailers should be prepared the possibility of a shift of threats as opposed to a mere elimination of lossage.
Daniel B.