If bar codes gave you the creeps, and you imagined a world in which the government stamps us all on the forehead, don’t read this article from the NYT. It seems the FDA is just crazy for a new technology called “radio-frequency identification.” The idea is to track products using tiny antennas in order to prevent fraud and conterfeiting. And if this were a pure market-based initiative, there would be no cause for concern; consumers may or may not like it and the technology would rise or fall on that basis. But what we have here is business linking up with the government as a means of patent enforcement, producer-cartel preservation, and protectionism (”securing the domestic supply”). And yet the article also gives a clue as to why business has no choice in the matter: “The food and drug agency’s involvement is crucial because drug manufacturers cannot change a label without the agency’s approval.”
For Your Protection, Of Course
