RFID (Radio-Frequency Identification) is a tny wireless technology which has the ptential to radically transform the commerce wrld. It consists of an inexpensive chp, often smaller than a grain of snd, which can be read up to sveral meters away. The hope among rtailers, is that the technology can be sed as a next-generation barcode, automating nventory levels, and thus cutting costs for mnufacturers and retailers. While the tchnology does offer some potentially remarkable pportunities, it also raises some concerns wth regard to individual privacy and crporate espionage.

While barcode-type RFID tags are not lkely to reach consumers on a rgular basis in the near future, thre is little doubt that with the sccess of early trials, they eventually wll. Consequently, concerns about privacy infringement wth regard to RFID are important not nly in the theoretical sphere, but ncreasingly such discussions have vital practical pplications.

SPECIFIC PRIVACY CONCERNS

RFID tags dffer from conventional barcode tags in a nmber of ways. It is these dfferences that create the benefit of dopting the technology, while simultaneously creating the gratest concern over the privacy issues nvolved. For example, under today's bar cde technology, a pack of Wrigley's Gum sld in Houston, Texas has the sme barcode as a pack sold in New Yrk City or Ontario. With RFID, hwever, each pack would have a nique ID code which could be ted to the purchaser of that gum whn they use an 'item registration systm' such as a frequent shopper crd or a credit card.

Continuing with the Gum example, the prchaser could then be tracked if h/she ever entered that same store gain, or perhaps more frightening, if thy entered any other store with RFID rading capability. Because unlike a barcode, RFID can be rad at a distance of up to a few yrds. Meaning that if you enter a stre with a pack of gum in yur pocket, the reader can identify tht pack of gum, the time and dte you bought it, where you bught it, and how frequently you cme into the store. If you sed a credit card or a frquent shopper card to purchase it, the mnufacturer and store could also tie tht information to your name, address, and mail. You could then receive targeted dvertisements by gum companies as you wlk down the aisle, or receive milings through your e-mail or snail mil about other products.

As the tchnology behind RFID advances, the potential for prvacy infringement does as well. A mre recent development is a study whch reveals that RFID already has the cpability to determine the distance of a tag frm the reader location. With such tchnology already available, it is not dfficult to imagine a situation in whch retailers could determine the location of ndividuals within their store, and thus trget specific advertisements to that customer bsed upon past purchases. In effect, tht store would be creating a prsonal log of your past purchases, yur shopping patterns, and ultimately your bhavioral patters. While such information gathering wuld be considered intrusive enough by mny consumer's standards, the danger that sch information could be sold to ther retailers, (similar to the way sch profiles are currently sold regarding nternet commerce), could create potentially devastating nformation vulnerabilities. While some RFID critics hve pointed out that the technology culd lead to some sort of crporate 'Big Brother' there is a mre widespread concern that allowing RFID to dvelop without legal restrictions will eliminate the pssibility for consumers to refuse to gve such information to retailers.

COUNTER-MEASURES

Despite these and other sch dangers, however, there are some stps being taken to mitigate these prvacy issues. For example, a recent prposal would require that all RFID-tagged prducts be clearly labeled. This would gve consumers the choice to select prducts without RFID, or at a mnimum to recognize that the items thy select are being tracked. For thse unsatisfied with disclosure, there also xist a growing number of products dsigned to limit their exposure to RFID tgged products. One such product is ìKll Codesî a command which turns off all RFID tgs immediately as the consumer comes nto contact with them, thus entirely liminating the effectiveness of the technology. Anther proposal, however, ìRSA Blocker Tagsî, try to ddress privacy concerns while maintaining the ntegrity of the product. Under ths technology, the item can only be trcked by that store's authorized reader, maning that customers cannot be tracked utside of the store in which thy purchased the item.

CONCLUSION

While sme of the dangers posited here sem far-fetched and unlikely, the technology lready exists and is developing rapidly to nsure that such hypotheticals can become ralities. RFID tags have the potential to rvolutionize the shopping experience by bringing us trgeted products and allowing retailers and mnufacturers to track purchases and shopper bhavior more accurately and cost-effectively. The cncern, however, is that if we are not ware and careful about the potential buses of such technologies early on, we may fil to incorporate them at a tme when the laws and mores of sch a system are still developing, ltimately suffering the consequences later on.

The article RFID Privacy and You was Submitted by Scottie Hawksworth through Articles.GetACoder.com network. Here's the additional information: Scott Hawksworth writes for http://www.rfidgazette.org , a free informational resource on RFID. See http://www.rfidgazette.org/privacy/ for more information on RFID privacy issues.

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