Cool demo: RSA RFID blocker tag

RSA's prototype RFID blocker tag is definitely the cool demo of the RSA Conference, going on this week in San Francisco. Each booth visitor selects from one of three demo prescriptions -- "tranquility pills," "wisdom pills," or "happiness pills." (I chose wisdom, naturally.) The RSA Labs crew requests a name from the visitor, then hands over an appropriately-tagged bottle (mine contained jellybeans). They scan the bottle on an RFID tabletop scanner and visitors see the details of the prescription, including type of prescription and patient's name. Then, they insert the bottle into an ordinary paper pharmacy bag that happens to contain a paper "blocker tag" that then blocks any attempt for an RFID reader to scan the bottle while it's in the bag. Most interestingly, the blocker tag works by "spamming" the RFID reader with random RFID data, so it can't function properly. It could take a year or two for this tech to find its way into practical use, but it'll go a long way to allay the fears of privacy advocates about RFID. Of course, for customers, it'll become one more little task to remember to do in an increasingly complex world.