http://www.sixwise.com/newsletters/06/04/05/rfids-the-pros-and-cons-every-consumer-needs-to-know-about-radio-frequency-identification-tags.htm
http://www.computerweekly.com/Articles/2005/04/04/209248/rfid-a-threat-to-privacy.htm
http://www.spychips.com/
http://www.rfidexchange.com/applications.aspx
http://epic.org/privacy/rfid/1. Describe some RFID applications that might pose a threat to privacy. What information does RFID enable them to track?
Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is a type of automatic identification system. The purpose of an RFID system is to enable data to be transmitted by a portable device, called a tag, which is read by an RFID reader and processed according to the needs of a particular application. The data transmitted by the tag may provide identification or location information, or specifics about the product tagged, such as price, color, date of purchase, etc. The use of RFID in tracking and access applications first appeared during the 1980s. RFID quickly gained attention because of its ability to track moving objects. As the technology is refined, more pervasive—and invasive—uses for RFID tags are in the works. While barcodes have historically been the primary means of tracking products, RFID systems are rapidly becoming the preferred technology for keeping tabs on people, pets, products, and even vehicles. One reason for this is because the read/write capability of an active RFID system enables the use of interactive applications.
RFID Applications are limited only by imagination! Many will become cost effective as the price of individual tags reduces with volumes manufactured, and other opportunities will be enabled as the technology develops. You can limit the search of the RFID Exchange database for companies to those that support the application areas below
Supply chain automation - the key early driver for developments and implementation of the technology
Asset tracking - tracking of assets in offices, labs, warehouses, pallets and containers in the supply chain, books in libraries
Medical applications - linking a patient with key drugs, personnel giving the drugs, biometric measurements
People tracking - security tracking for entrance management or security, contact management at events, baby tags in hospitals to manage access to post-natal wards
Manufacturing - tracking of parts during manufacture, tracking of assembled items
Retail - tracking store trolleys in supermarkets, active shelves
Warehouses - Real-time inventory by automated registration of items in a warehouse or store-room
Livestock - implanted RFID tags in animals for tracking and linking the animal to food, location. Applicable to farming as well as exotic breeds in zoos
Timing - sports event timing to track athletes as they start a race and pass the finish line
Other proposed uses of RFID technology include:
Tracking apparel:
Tracking consumer packaged goods (CPGs):
Tracking tires:
Tracking currency:
Tracking patients and personnel:
Payment systems:
2. How do these applications threaten personal privacy? how serious is this threat?Surveillance is becoming much easier thanks to radio frequency identification (RFID) technology - a fact not lost on well-informed consumers and the privacy and data protection community.
There is growing recognition that the same RFID application which is employed ostensibly to prevent counterfeiting or the theft of cash or goods could also be used to track an individual’s spending habits, preferences and even physical movements. This information could be used for a host of unauthorised and unsolicited activities such as targeted marketing and dynamic pricing.
From a privacy standpoint, the current simplicity of the tag’s response, which does not differentiate between requests based on origin or identity, is a flaw. Thieves could use the tags to locate the whereabouts of valuables and interested persons could obtain access to another’s medical records or passport details, or trace another’s spending habits or physical movements.
The implications are therefore extensive but, at present, many concerns about RFID are largely theoretical. This is due to the fact that most RFID applications are not yet widely deployed because they are being trialled or because of cost.
"RFID sort of lends itself to a surreptitious tracking model, simply because of the way the tech operates, silently and through radio waves. If people have an interest in surreptitious tracking, RFID is a natural candidate."
Civil liberties advocates point out that the ability to track people, products, vehicles, and even currency would create an Orwellian world where law enforcement officials and nosy retailers could read the contents of a handbag—perhaps without a person's knowledge—simply by installing RFID readers nearby.
Even the RFID industry itself is aware of the threat to privacy posed by the development and installation of tags in commonplace items. Consumers Against Supermarket Privacy Invasion and Numbering (CASPIAN) recently located internal public relations
documents which detail how RFID developers plan to offset public opposition to the technology
The proposed uses of RFID tags pose exponentially greater risks to personal privacy. Many technology experts predict the development of a seamless network of millions of RFID receivers strategically placed around the globe in airports, seaports, highways, distribution centers, warehouses, retail stores, and consumers' homes, all of which are constantly reading, processing, and evaluating consumers behaviors and purchases. In addition to undermining a consumer's ability to enjoy a lifestyle in relative anonymity, critics of the technology counter that the information gathered by RFID readers could be obtained by the government for surveillance or monitoring the activities of citizens, or even misused by hackers and criminals. Even more, the ever-expanding use of RFID chips would leave no aspect of life safe from the prying eyes of retail and corporate giants. Chips integrated into commonplace products such as floor tiles, shelf paper, cabinets, appliance, exercise equipment, and grocery and packaged products would allow even our most intimate activities to be monitored.
3. Should those RFID applications be deployed? Why, or why not? Justify your answer.
Positive Uses for RFIDs
RFID tags are allowing for some pretty amazing new inventions. Among them:
·
Talking prescriptions, which allow people with visual impairments to "read" the drug's name, warnings, etc. using a battery-powered talking prescription reader.
· Pet identification. Tiny microchips can be implanted into pets so they can be located and returned to their owners if lost.
·
Cattle identification. RFIDs can replace barcode tags and identify an animal's herd of origin.
·
Automatic toll collection. Perhaps the most common way RFIDs are currently used, the tags allow tolls to be debited from a prepaid account when vehicles drive by.
· The Smart Key/Smart Start option for some vehicles. This allows the owner to open their car's doors and start the car while the key is still in their pocket or purse (an RFID senses the key when it is within a range of about three feet).
· Prison tracking wristbands, which can tell if an inmate has tried to remove the band and sends an alert to a prison computer in response.
Protection by law- If an application involves the processing of personal data, which can be used directly or indirectly to identify an individual, that application will be subject to certain core data protection principles contained in the law.
- These principles include requirements of fair and lawful processing, retention of personal data for only as long as necessary and collection of data which is relevant and not excessive for the purposes it has been collected.
- A further requirement is informed consent, which means in many circumstances the details of how the information in a RFID tag will be used will need to be made clear at the outset.
- In addition, the requirement of fair and lawful processing is broad and means that manufacturers and deployers of RFID tags would need to label those products containing tags, provide information on how to disable or remove the tags and inform consumers when RFID readers are within range.
As RFID develops and becomes more mainstream, it will need to be monitored from a legal standpoint and the benefits of certain applications weighed against the sometimes competing interest of maintaining privacy.The risks and conflicts of RFID may be addressed in the future through legislation, but for the time being it seems the issue will remain the subject of debate. Meanwhile, I don't think the possibility of inappropriate tracking tomorrow should prevent us from using RFID technologies for the important benefits they can bring us today.
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