Abstract: An arrangement for monitoring the security status of an object includes affixing to the object a passive two way communication circuit such as a frangible radio security tag or smart label. The tag or label, when operational, is arranged to receive a remotely generated request for status information and, responsive to the request, to transmit status information to a remote device. The radio tag or label is affixed to the object in a manner so that it is rendered inoperative if the object is tampered with. By remotely monitoring the status information on a periodic basis, the security of the object can thus be determined. The tag can include a circuit built on a substrate that is scored or otherwise rendered breakable along a predetermined axis or in a predetermined direction. This assures that when the object to which the radio tag is affixed is subject to authorized manipulation or tampering, critical components in the tag will in fact break.