Post · bonfire.cafe

@gerrymcgovern@mastodon.green · 2 days ago

I'm writing a story about hidden e-waste. Chips and electronics in products such as children's toys, shoes, clothes, etc.

Anyone has some funny / weird examples of products you don't expect to have chips / or that have no useful reason to have chips--but still do? Or examples of really throwaway electronics such as vapes?

Gerry McGovern

@gerrymcgovern@mastodon.green · yesterday

Americans throw out 5.7 disposable vapes every second

Disposable vapes are a particularly insidious form of pollution because they’re nicotine, plastic, and electronic waste all in one.

https://www.fastcompany.com/91368463/americans-throw-out-5-7-disposable-vapes-every-second

E-waste is the fastest growing waste in the world--and the most toxic.

Anke

@Anke@social.scribblers.club · yesterday

@gerrymcgovern Birthday cards or other greeting cards that play music, for the throwaway electronics.

Nina Kalinina

@nina_kali_nina@tech.lgbt · yesterday

@gerrymcgovern many paper tickets, including single use tickets, have NFC chips in them. They're very cheap to manufacture and contain only small amount of rare metals, but the scale and the nature of being single use make them truly scary.

Aaron

@aaron@chirp.zadzmo.org · 2 days ago

@gerrymcgovern Certain cables have entire chipsets in them now.

For example: https://hackaday.com/2025/02/06/running-doom-on-an-apple-lightning-to-hdmi-adapter/

Earth Notes

@EarthOrgUK@mastodon.energy · 2 days ago

@gerrymcgovern Toasters. Wearing my #RepairCafé hat!

Piggo :verified_horse:

@piggo@piggo.space · 2 days ago

@gerrymcgovern do the NFC tags embedded in all decathlon clothes count?

pseyfert

@pseyfert@chaos.social · 2 days ago

@gerrymcgovern USB-C cables.

(I'm not saying they're not doing anything useful. I'm saying I didn't expect cables to be more than just some copper that establishes an electric connection between pins at some given impedance)

Security Writer

@SecurityWriter@infosec.exchange · 2 days ago

@gerrymcgovern Pregnancy tests and other single use medical devices like insulin pens. Bank and ID cards. Kids toys with any ‘scanning’ functionality, like RFID, playing cards, tokens, Amiibo etc. RFID or NFC clothing tags in stores are now widespread, as are security labels. Any modern USB cable has a ton of advanced electronics on it beyond two connectors strung together.

Can’t think of any more for now, but I’ll keep pondering on it!

Julescelt

@julescelt01@universeodon.com · 2 days ago

@gerrymcgovern The site iFixit showcased an advert they got from a ad company recently, it was a cardboard box with a card that had a monitor in it to play an ad for the company. It was all disposable. Ugh.

Laikulo

@laikulo@defcon.social · 2 days ago

@gerrymcgovern I don't know if this counts, because it's not really cheap, but it is hidden. It's pretty common for cars and a few other large items to have a long range RFID tag in them, typically on the inside of the bumper cover. It's meant for logistics during production, and it's typically suicided before sale.

Iain

@Bakeri666@social.psychodog.co.uk · 2 days ago

@gerrymcgovern do the paper wrist bands work nfc tags in them count?
A local amusement park uses them for their day tickets.
One day use, and designed to be thrown away without realising how the "magic" worked

AlexsandraSmart

@AlexsandraSmart@mastodon.nz · 2 days ago

@Bakeri666 @gerrymcgovern
Yes they count. @kenshirriff did a breakdown (literally in acid etc) of a paper metro ticket. He posted a thread about it on here somewhere, but he has a website with a blog post https://www.righto.com/2024/06/montreal-mifare-ultralight-nfc.html that I really recommend.

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