Is Your Detergent Stalking You

Is Your Detergent Stalking You

adage.com

Brazil's Omo Uses GPS to Follow Consumers Home With Prizes

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- Unilever's Omo detergent is adding an unusual ingredient to its two-pound detergent box in Brazil: a GPS device that allows its promotions agency Bullet to track shoppers and follow them to their front doors.

Starting next week, consumers who buy one of the GPS-implanted detergent boxes will be surprised at home, given a pocket video camera as a prize and invited to bring their families to enjoy a day of Unilever-sponsored outdoor fun. The promotion, called Try Something New With Omo, is in keeping with

(visit the link for the full news article)


Related News Links:
info-wars.org
www.covenantnews.com

Talk about Big Brother!!!!

I know the story reads like a "feel good" article, but think of the implications...

It's not bad enough that when my wife gets a grocery card from every single retailer out there and our shopping information gets passed on to heaven knows who, they are now starting to follow people home?

If this spreads to other countries, and it will, if it spreads to other products, and it will, where does it stop?

adage.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

That would freak me out, glad they put that out there, that way people who don't want to be followed home won't buy that product.

Shesh Oh Pete! That could be dangerous if the wrong person picked the GPS tagged container.

Good thing this isn't being done in America, yet. Could get some people hurt or killed.

reply to post by semperfortis


Who's to say that it hasn't happened already? Wal-Mart announced a week and a half ago that they were going to start rolling out RFID tags in their male clothing products, in the form of tags that are attached to them during the packaging process. While they maintain that it's purely for inventory purposes, and mind you it could be just for that, there's also the other likelihood that someone is using it to track customer's purchases, and their locations.

I must admit a bit of skepticism on the claims against Wal-Mart's deal though, as the tags only work within a short range.

As far as those GPS units go though, I'm not too sure that Joe country-boy will be none too happy to see some bunch of groupies hanging out at his door, sayin' that they tracked him home with a homin' device in his soap. If I was him or her, I'd be peeved right the heck off!! Interesting story though! Thanks for sharing.

TheBorg

reply to post by whatukno


Exactly...

Those GPS Transmitters could conceivable be picked up by anyone with that kind of technical knowledge. The possible stalking/home invasion/rape scenarios stagger the mind...

Semper

reply to post by TheBorg


Known GPS transmitter technology is still way too large for it to work in an RFID tag, besides, they're designed to be scanned at short range not emit a signal that can be tracked.

This is how small a GPS transmitter is currently:



Of course, there's no saying that the technology isn't out there to make these GPS transmitters tiny.


EDIT:
Correction, the smallest GPS transmitter is one made by Epson and measures 7 x 6 x 1.28-millimeters

www.engadget.com...

Ok so that is bloody small!





[edit on 1/8/10 by Chadwickus]

reply to post by Chadwickus


Yeah I know. Was part of the reason that I was put off by the conspiracist angle when I heard it. It seemed kinda off to me as well. Besides, they're both removed easily enough. Just tear them out.

TheBorg

This isn't a feel-god or nefarious anything. It's a limited and temporary marketing gimmick. No more, no less. Might be dangerous for the people following people to award them a prize, I agree, but it sounds like they're promoting it, so people will more or less know to expect it.

The title of the article and first paragraph make it sound ominous. Got your attention, eh? LOL

Like someone said, GPS's are already in cell phones and in cars. Anyone could slap one on you or your vehicle at anytime for REAL nefarious purposes. That's just a fact of life.

.

Let's get a little perspective. I am by no means in favour of this development, however it is for a product competition/promotion not to be placed in all of this companies detergent boxes. These GPS's can easily be removed from ther box if you so choose before you drive home with it. Also the company involved is openly discussing the promotion prior to the event.

I am definitely against RFIDs etc, but this particular case is much less nefarious than it would initially seem.

Wow, what a coincidence!

I was discussing "chipping" with some friends last night, I made a joke about smart phones becoming so small they will just make them chip size and implant them before long.

That led to several of my guests claiming the government could always find you if we got chipped.

To which I waved my phone around at all of theirs, and said doing so now?

Then I was countered with chips cant be that small to track you, and I asked if they have ever heard of nanotech, if we dont already we will have it soon.

I have heard of chips in clothes and medicine so why not laundry detergent? I think the prize promotion is to soften the entry of tracking chipping devices into humans eventually, dont they always enslave us one step at a time and dont we always clamour for more?

by what I hear, wal mart is gonna start chipping their products.....on removable tags.....

ummm...ya....I predict that these tags never make it home...as for that laundry detergent...well, I would have a container in my car to dump it in, then trash the box it came in into the nearest trash can in the store parking lot...
same thing as I am gonna do with the chips on wal marts products!! maybe they will come to learn that this isn't such a good idea when they are having to send people out to empty their trash cans every hour or so!!!

reply to post by semperfortis


Lol you said Big brother, all I could see was Big Brothel.
But maybe that is a mental freudian slip.
As in this could mean your screwed. 0.o
Just don't buy the detergent is all.

The slippery slope gets soapy.

Nice bit of conditioning, like teaching a dog how to respond to a command. In the early stages of training you must give it rewards to develop the association.

I'm surprised Unilever haven't used this marketting ploy before now, we all know about that old connection between GPS tracking and washing up powder. Can't tell you how many times I've mentioned them both in the same sentence...

Pretty weird stuff, and an unusual gimic for a detergent company.

The lack of technical knowledge on this site is staggering.. That "smallest gps" pic was great

RFID chips cant be tracked, unless someone follows you with a scanner up your ass...
And the gps.. Well rip the thing off, cover it with foil or avoid the thing completely.. Buy the competing brand of soap..

Like someone said, gsm cells can be triangulated quite close or if u have gps then very close..

Is your laundry detergent stalking you?

You know, now that you mention it - I could've sworn I put that bottle of laundry soap in the closet. But it's in the hallway. I can see it. And in fact - I think it's closer now....

I wonder if something like this would be useful.

www.spytronic.com...

soapnuts! not really nuts, but berries that grow in india and nepal

"They contain large quantities of saponin in their shells. It acts as a natural, gentle detergent when it comes into contact with water. Without any chemicals, fragrances or dyes, they are safe and gentle for handwashing delicates. They are also tough enough for regular laundry. They will leave your clothes soft, clean and fragrance free. No need to use of fabric softeners."

www.buysoapnuts.com...


a friend of mine got these a while back and they work just fine. you can use them to clean everything from clothes to cars

I think I can pretty well predict one of the next trends in new product roll-outs from RonCo (tm), "As Seen On TV!!" ---

More the hysteria and angst over RFIDs, and their bretheren, more market for devices that will be promoted and sold to defeat them....

Seems pretty well established that, no matter the technolgoical advances on one front, others come along to mitigate, or neuter entirely.

Might be an entrepreneurial goldmine!

I remember reading about Levi's I think, this was years ago, about how they wanted to do the same thing with their denim jeans. They wanted to "get a better idea of their demographics", they said.
I'll look around for it.

edit: www.spychips.com...


edit: You could start a whole nother thread with that one probably.

edit: corrected company name
[edit on 1-8-2010 by Myendica]

[edit on 1-8-2010 by Myendica]

[edit on 1-8-2010 by Myendica]

Anyone with a cell phone can already be tracked at any time... So long as they're only doing this to give away prizes it's no big deal, to me anyways.

The internet and devices such as cell phones and car GPS systems (Of which more and more cars come with E.G. Onstar) are already putting "Everyone on the grid."

Technology has a price, and we are starting to pay it with our privacy.