What is RFID
Short for radio frequency identification, RFID is a dedicated short range communication (DSRC) technology. The term RFID is used to describe various technologies that use radio waves to automatically identify people or objects. RFID technology is similar to the bar code identification systems we see in retail stores everyday; however one big difference between RFID and bar code technology is that RFID does not rely on the line-of-sight reading that bar code scanning requires to work.
Many public and private sector organizations are either using or planning to use RFID technology. Because the technology basically turns an inert object into one capable of communicating, the potential for use is enormous and limited only by our imagination and the capabilities of the technology involved. Potential uses include:
- Supply Chain Management (monitoring and controlling the flow of goods from raw materials through to finished product, from manufacturer to consumer);
- Product Integrity (ensuring that products (e.g., pharmaceuticals) are authentic and have not been altered in any way);
- Warranty Services (marking durable goods with a tag incorporating a product registration code to facilitate warranty services);
- ID, Travel, and Ticketing (providing a means to verify the identity of the traveler and to ensure that the documents are genuine);
- Baggage Tracking (monitoring and controlling the movement of baggage from check-in to loading on an airplane); and
- Patient Care and Management (providing a means to rapidly and accurately verify information concerning patient allergies, prescription history, etc. to prevent surgical errors).
Potential Uses of RFID Technology
Many public and private sector organizations are either using or planning to use RFID technology. Because the technology basically turns an inert object into one capable of communicating, the potential for use is enormous and limited only by our imagination and the capabilities of the technology involved. Potential uses include:
- Supply Chain Management (monitoring and controlling the flow of goods from raw materials through to finished product, from manufacturer to consumer);
- Product Integrity (ensuring that products (e.g., pharmaceuticals) are authentic and have not been altered in any way);
- Warranty Services (marking durable goods with a tag incorporating a product registration code to facilitate warranty services);
- ID, Travel, and Ticketing (providing a means to verify the identity of the traveler and to ensure that the documents are genuine);
- Baggage Tracking (monitoring and controlling the movement of baggage from check-in to loading on an airplane); and
- Patient Care and Management (providing a means to rapidly and accurately verify information concerning patient allergies, prescription history, etc. to prevent surgical errors).
Privacy Concerns
Notwithstanding the current state of RFID technology or current practices, certain aspects of the technology – notably the small size of the tags and the ability to uniquely identify an object – pose potential threats to individual privacy. These include, but are not necessarily limited to the following:
a)
Surreptitious collection of information. RFID tags are small and can be embedded into/onto objects and documents without the knowledge of the individual who obtains those items. As radio waves travel easily and silently through fabric, plastic, and other materials and are not restricted to line of sight, it is possible to read RFID tags sewn into clothing or affixed to objects contained in purses, shopping bags, suitcases, and more. Tags can be read from a distance, by readers that can be incorporated invisibly into nearly any environment where human beings or items congregate. It may not, therefore, be readily apparent that RFID technology is in use, making it virtually impossible for a consumer to know when or if he or she is being "scanned”;
b)
Tracking an individual’s movements. If RFID tags are embedded in clothing or vehicles, for example, and if there is a sufficiently dense network of readers in place, it becomes possible to track those tags in time and space. Applications to do just this, using a combination of RFID and Global Positioning System technology, are being proposed by RFID vendors. If the tags can then be associated with an individual, then by that association the individual’s movements can be tracked. For example, a tag embedded in an article of clothing could serve as a de facto identifier for the person wearing it. Even if information about the tagged item remains generic, identifying items people wear or carry could associate them with, for example, particular events like political rallies or protests;
c)
Profiling of individuals. When using bar codes, one bottle of water has the same barcode as all other bottles of water of that particular brand. RFID technology potentially enables every object on earth to have its own unique ID (i.e., each bottle of water would have a unique identifier). The use of unique ID numbers could lead to the creation of a global item registration system in which every physical object is identified and linked to its purchaser or owner at the point of sale or transfer. If these unique identifiers are associated with an individual (by linking through a credit card number, for example), then a profile of that individual’s purchasing habits can easily be created;
d)
Secondary use (particularly in the sense of limiting or controlling such use). The creation of profiles and the tracking of movement can reveal a great deal of additional information. For example, the revelation of personal information such as medical prescription or personal health histories could have an impact on the availability of insurance or employment; and
e)
Massive data aggregation. RFID deployment requires the creation of massive databases containing unique tag data. These records could be linked with personal identifying data, especially as computer memory and processing capacities expand. This, in turn, could facilitate any of the practices listed above.
RFID Technology
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