Claims of chips in bed linens given to earthquake survivors stir up Hatay: What is the truth?

While the Kahramanmaraş-centered earthquakes devastated 11 provinces, support continues for Hatay, which suffered the most destruction. The discovery of chips among the quilts, pillows, and bed linens sent from abroad for earthquake survivors shocked those who found them. Citizens, thinking they were being bugged or tracked by the devices found in the bed linen sets, shared their concerns on social media.

Following the incident, an explanation came from the authorities. It turned out that the chips, which earthquake survivors feared might be tracking devices, are actually inventory barcodes using RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) technology.

It was understood that the chips found in the bed linen sets are chips that enable the automatic counting of objects using radio frequencies. Emphasizing that these barcodes are definitely not tracking devices, officials stated that this is a technology used to count manufactured room supplies with the press of a single button.

'CONCERNS OF BEING BUGGED AROSE'

Stating that the chips used for inventory in the textile industry caused anxiety among citizens, Mehmet Pehlivan said, “The bed linen sets coming from abroad were delivered to neighborhood headmen to be distributed to earthquake survivors. Citizens who saw the small chips used to determine the quantity of textile products became uneasy. Due to some events developing in the world in our daily lives, people create such scenarios within themselves. It is a chip used in textiles. Millions of them are produced. As a textile professional, it is a technology used to determine counts via computer as they pass through the bands instantly. Citizens were gripped by the fear that 'they are going to blow us up' or 'they are listening to us.' These are fabrications, but they were the first things that came to people's minds due to their worries and fears. There is no issue or problem with these chips.”

News Source: İHA