The New York Times carried this piece yesterday about IBM’s commitment to building out RFID infrastructure. Privacy issues warranted a brief mention, in the context of proposals for FTC regulation of the devices. Curiously, the Times didn’t report on hackability issues. An enormous number of people are now carrying around micro-computers known as cell phones. Imagine that a phone/PDA could be programmed to bypass the encryption in an RFID tag and to enable the user to alter or erase its data. The goal could be noble (limit privacy invasions) or not (change the price). DMCA alert: Should it be legal for a consumer to hack an RFID tag after purchase? How about before purchase?