Wednesday, May 04, 2005
The RFID Debate
What is an RFID? And what is the debate about?
California parents learned the answers to these questions this year when an elementary school decided to force children to wear RFID chips, spurring legislation to limit the uses of RFID chips in the state.
Also causing alarm recently, is the decision by Cisco to launch a wireless RFID server that can track people and equipment using existing Wi-Fi networks.
RFID, also known as contactless integrated circuits, transmits information wirelessly, allowing scanners to read cards from a distance, typically a few feet. The technology is widely used in building security and inventory-tracking systems, and is being considered for numerous other applications.
Concerns about RFID center on surreptitious scanning and tracking, since data on the chips can be picked up either by an authorized or an unauthorized reader without the knowledge of the person carrying the chip.
RFID chips could 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.
The potential for RFID to be used to target individuals - not just to check stock levels or ensure baggage does not get lost in transit - is made more serious by the issue of access. Not only will the deployer of an RFID tag, such as a retailer, be able to access the information contained in a tag, but anyone with the right equipment will also be able to do so.
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.
Headline: FDA approves implanted RFID chip for Humans
RFID's in passports? Rep James Sensenbrenner says no.
View Sensenbrenner's Enhanced Border Security and Visa Entry Reform Act of 2002 here
Read more about another CA RFID case here
More info on RFID's and how they are being used right now can be found here.
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California parents learned the answers to these questions this year when an elementary school decided to force children to wear RFID chips, spurring legislation to limit the uses of RFID chips in the state.
Also causing alarm recently, is the decision by Cisco to launch a wireless RFID server that can track people and equipment using existing Wi-Fi networks.
RFID, also known as contactless integrated circuits, transmits information wirelessly, allowing scanners to read cards from a distance, typically a few feet. The technology is widely used in building security and inventory-tracking systems, and is being considered for numerous other applications.
Concerns about RFID center on surreptitious scanning and tracking, since data on the chips can be picked up either by an authorized or an unauthorized reader without the knowledge of the person carrying the chip.
RFID chips could 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.
The potential for RFID to be used to target individuals - not just to check stock levels or ensure baggage does not get lost in transit - is made more serious by the issue of access. Not only will the deployer of an RFID tag, such as a retailer, be able to access the information contained in a tag, but anyone with the right equipment will also be able to do so.
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.
Headline: FDA approves implanted RFID chip for Humans
RFID's in passports? Rep James Sensenbrenner says no.
View Sensenbrenner's Enhanced Border Security and Visa Entry Reform Act of 2002 here
Read more about another CA RFID case here
More info on RFID's and how they are being used right now can be found here.
# posted by Pete @ 4:15 PM 
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