Originally Posted by n4zou

RFID tags are very small, so small they can be injected into pets. There also cheap costing just a few cents each when purchased in large bulk orders. They contain no batteries so they can be placed inside the frames carbon fiber during construction. For metal bike frames the RFID tag can be hidden under epoxy and paint. Tracking is possible and is becoming commonplace. New products have RFID tags embedded during production so that retailers can track the product from the cash register to the exit automatically logging it as sold. RFID tagged clothing allows the manufacturer and retailer to track there customers as they pass in and out of stores equipped with RFID scanners at the entrance and exit doors. You can see scanners located at large retailers at the doors. This also allows them to prosecute persons that shoplift and subsequently return to a retailer (any retailer, not just the store where the clothing was stolen) wearing the stolen clothing and be arrested. The tags are so small there almost impossible to find and destruction of the clothing is required to remove them. Returned items can be tracked as well. If the items RFID tag is not the same as the item being returned the retailer need not accept that item for return. Implementing RFID tags on bicycles would only cost a few cents. When the bike is sold the RFID tag is programed with the owners information. Anytime that bike is close to any RFID scanner it's tag information is sent and checked. If it's ever reported stolen a report is generated and sent to whoever it's registered with. Say your bike is stolen and it starts showing up regularly in the same places. You show your reports to the police and they wait for the stolen bike to ride by there scanner and Bingo! The thief is apprehended and your bike returned. Pawn Shops as well as bike shops would be able to spot stolen bikes as soon as they come in range of there scanner. Very soon thief's would pickup on the fact that selling or riding a stolen bike would be stupid.