Embodiments includes an apparatus and method that intentionally illuminate a device with RF energy having specific characteristics (e.g., frequency, power, waveform, directionality, duration, etc.) to make a conductor of the device a transmitter. A method can include identifying data to be transmitted by the one or more conductors and providing a signal to the electrical or electronic circuitry to cause the electrical or electronic circuitry to change state and produce a first signal on the one or more conductors. The one or more conductors can produce a forced non-linear emission (FNLE) that is a mixture of the first signal and an electromagnetic wave incident thereon that, when decoded by an external device, corresponds to the data.