Sunday 4 July 2004

Coca Cola And National Security

From Dr Strangelove :
Colonel "Bat" Guano: Okay. I'm gonna get your money for ya. But if you don't get the President of the United States on that phone, you know what's gonna happen to you?
Group Capt. Lionel Mandrake: What?
Colonel "Bat" Guano: You're gonna have to answer to the Coca-Cola company.
And from the RISKS Digest :
The Coca Cola Company has a summer game promotion running from 5/17 -
7/12/04 in all 50 states and the District of Columbia that has the
capability to compromise classified information. The company has
intermixed approximately 120 Coca-Cola cans that actually contain GPS
locators equipped with a SIM card, keypad and GPS chip transponder so
it functions as a cell phone and GPS locator. The cans are concealed
in specially marked 12, 18, 20, or 24 can multi-packs of Coca-Cola
Classic, Vanilla Coke, Cherry Coke and Caffeine Free Coke. The
hi-tech Coke "Unexpected Summer" promotion can has a button,
microphone, and a tiny speaker on the outside of the can. Pressing
the larger red button starts the game in process, thus activating the
GPS signal and a cell phone used by the customer to call a special
hotline. Consumers who find these cans, activate the technology, and
call the hot line must agree to allow Coke "search teams" using the
GPS tracker (accurate to within 50 feet), to surprise them anyplace,
anytime within three weeks to deliver a valuable prize.

In accordance with DIA, no specific policy for this promotion will be
issued. However, DISA employees with access to SCIFs should take a
common sense approach and if one of these cans are found inside a
SCIF, they should treat it as they would any two-way electronic device
in a SCIF and remove it immediately. Until such time as this sales
promotion ends and all 120 cans are accounted for, Coca-Cola packages
should be opened and inspected before taking them into any area marked
as a" Restricted Area" or classified meetings/discussions, etc. are in
progress or have the potential to occur at any time.

Scott Addis, Chief, SSO, Defense Information Systems Agency

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