Russian Government Considers RFID Tags On All New Clothing

A branch of the Russian government, the Ministry of Industry and Trade, says RFID tags may be able to help fight against the problem of counterfeit goods.

A report by the Russian daily Izvestia said the Russian government is considering using RFID tags on all labels in clothing and footwear fabricated and sold throughout the Customs Union member-states i.e. Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan. Officials believe this is the only solution for an ongoing epidemic of counterfeit goods.

The Russian government estimates that more than $30 billion worth of counterfeit clothes and shoes are transported into Russia on a yearly basis, and the volumes of these items are increasing.

According to a recent report by the Federal Customs Service quoted by Izvestia, about 70 million counterfeit items have been apprehended in Russia in the last 6 years. In 2012, Russian law enforcement officers confiscated more than $300,000 worth of counterfeit goods, followed by another $170,000 worth of goods in just the first six months of the next year. Counterfeit clothes, toys and footwear made up the majority share of the goods that were seized.

The company that would provide the technology for the tagging has not yet been selected. Apparently only 2 companies in Russia – Mikron and Rusnano’s subsidiary RST Invent produce RFID tags.

Izvestia emphasised that clothes makers are not for the most part, happy over the move. They believe purchases of RFID tags and RFID readers will increase their costs greatly, thereby forcing them to raise their prices.

What do you think about RFID in clothes, shoes and toys?  Is it another way of tracking the populous?  As always your sensible comments are always welcome.

[Image via nextgenerationmedia]

SOURCE: http://www.techweekeurope.co.uk/news/russian-government-considers-rfid-tags-new-clothes-135776