You respond that you "make the mobile-RFID comparison specifically because I suspect that even in our class, very few of us have regular second thoughts about leaving our phones on." I think that you are trying to make the more nuanced point that for all the hoopla about RFID, people don't give a second thought to carrying a cellphone and that maybe they should be more consistent in their fears? Is this right? If so, I had a hard time distilling that excellent point from the text.

As for the point about lobbying, I agree that the smashing chips and playing with tin-foil problem (hilarious, by the way) is a real concern for privacy advocates. However, I think the solution is thinking about more effective ways to communicate RFID (and other privacy) issues to the general public, not to abandon speech about technologies that do indeed pose a threat to privacy. But perhaps this is what you mean by the word "lobbying", in which case we are on the same page.

-- JustinColannino - 08 Apr 2009