Festival CulturaDigital.Br

What do hotels, public transport systems, and international borders have in common? Traits for the international person of mystery? Or examples of tracking technology? Why, yes.

RFID tags are simple, tiny electronic circuits used to communicate information wirelessly over a small distance. Its uses are wide and varied. The flip side of this no-touch convenience can also expose us to possible abuse. A criminal with an RFID scanner could copy credit card information simply by walking past us. Government or corporate agents could track our movements around a city by correlating unique codes from RFID chips in our wallets to machines that ask for the info.

Designer / technologist Mimi Hui will give an introduction to the science, uses, and risks of RFID, showcase RFID-blocking slipcovers, wallets, and pouches she has designed, and conduct a workshop with the materials we can use to protect our information.

Mimi is showcasing these at the Museum of Arts and Design in NYC in October (www.madmuseum.org) and the Create. Art and Technology conference in Berlin in early November (http://createartandtechnology.de/en/program.html). She is also a proud member of www.nycresistor.com a Brooklyn, NY based hack space.