Comments on: Do We Need Laws for ‘Booster Bags’? http://tadhg.com/wp/2007/04/13/do-we-need-laws-for-booster-bags/ Wherein some things Tadhg are discussed Tue, 16 Mar 2010 22:30:21 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: Tadhg http://tadhg.com/wp/2007/04/13/do-we-need-laws-for-booster-bags/comment-page-1/#comment-2625 Tadhg Mon, 16 Apr 2007 19:46:11 +0000 http://tadhg.com/wp/2007/04/13/do-we-need-laws-for-booster-bags/#comment-2625 <p>I meant to talk about the possible "innocuous" uses, specifically the anti-RFID stuff, but it slipped my mind. As for science, clearly science can only be permitted to go on in secure labs that have extensive government paperwork and backing.</p> I meant to talk about the possible “innocuous” uses, specifically the anti-RFID stuff, but it slipped my mind. As for science, clearly science can only be permitted to go on in secure labs that have extensive government paperwork and backing.

]]> By: mollydot http://tadhg.com/wp/2007/04/13/do-we-need-laws-for-booster-bags/comment-page-1/#comment-2569 mollydot Sat, 14 Apr 2007 09:43:53 +0000 http://tadhg.com/wp/2007/04/13/do-we-need-laws-for-booster-bags/#comment-2569 <p>Interesting.</p> <p>Bags: The article illustrates your point about what's a bag, pointing out some things that aren't bags already, like the back of a wheelchair. Or what if the whole bag is not lined, but just a pocket. How big can a pocket be? If just bags are illegal, they may start carrying small boxes that just the alarm part goes into, assuming that the gap to allow the clothing out of the box is not enough for the signal, or that a double layer will deal with that.</p> <p>Intent: It seems intent to shoplift is already a crime, where I imagine the booster bag would count as evidence. A law may just encourage people to make them on the spot with foil, which might make it harder to gain evidence against them before they make the bag, though easier, as they would have to do more work in the shop. But if people are already making them in the shop, then it can't be that hard, and it'll just mean people bringing in the equipment to make one, rather than carrying one. And I can't imagine making it illegal to carry a bag, aluminium foil and duct tape.</p> <p>No innocent uses: With increasing amounts of RFIDs on items, there may well be innocent, privacy related, uses. You may not want to walk into a shop and have them know what you bought already in another shop. I don't know how much information an unrelated reader can get, but I imagine they can, at the very least, count the tags, and probably tell where they came from, even if they can't tell what the items are. And if the definition of bag is overly broad, well then, it might be illegal to block the RFID in your passport. And what about science? People doing experiments with electromagnetism? Again, if the definition is too broad, it is, in effect, banning portable (or maybe all) Faraday cages. Unless the law specifies in a shop. Which it probably doesn't. And even it it did, where could you buy them then :-) Or you could just be paranoid. Perhaps you want to carry your mobile phone in a foil lined bag to protect you from the evil rays. It may be misguided, but that shouldn't make it illegal.</p> <p>Sorry, blabbing on. You got the wheels spinning.</p> Interesting.

Bags: The article illustrates your point about what’s a bag, pointing out some things that aren’t bags already, like the back of a wheelchair. Or what if the whole bag is not lined, but just a pocket. How big can a pocket be? If just bags are illegal, they may start carrying small boxes that just the alarm part goes into, assuming that the gap to allow the clothing out of the box is not enough for the signal, or that a double layer will deal with that.

Intent: It seems intent to shoplift is already a crime, where I imagine the booster bag would count as evidence. A law may just encourage people to make them on the spot with foil, which might make it harder to gain evidence against them before they make the bag, though easier, as they would have to do more work in the shop. But if people are already making them in the shop, then it can’t be that hard, and it’ll just mean people bringing in the equipment to make one, rather than carrying one. And I can’t imagine making it illegal to carry a bag, aluminium foil and duct tape.

No innocent uses: With increasing amounts of RFIDs on items, there may well be innocent, privacy related, uses. You may not want to walk into a shop and have them know what you bought already in another shop. I don’t know how much information an unrelated reader can get, but I imagine they can, at the very least, count the tags, and probably tell where they came from, even if they can’t tell what the items are. And if the definition of bag is overly broad, well then, it might be illegal to block the RFID in your passport.
And what about science? People doing experiments with electromagnetism? Again, if the definition is too broad, it is, in effect, banning portable (or maybe all) Faraday cages. Unless the law specifies in a shop. Which it probably doesn’t. And even it it did, where could you buy them then :-)
Or you could just be paranoid. Perhaps you want to carry your mobile phone in a foil lined bag to protect you from the evil rays. It may be misguided, but that shouldn’t make it illegal.

Sorry, blabbing on. You got the wheels spinning.

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