Thursday, September 20, 2012

RFID Technology: A Growing Concern


In 1973, one of the first RFID tags was introduced to the world. A card with an embedded transponder communicated a signal to a reader on a door lock and opened it without a key. The technology at the time was groundbreaking! 37 years later, E-dologic’s chief executive, Enon Landenberg, envisioned connecting the physical world to the virtual world. In 2010, this dream would become a reality at the Coca-Cola village in Israel. Watch what they do here:


This is just the beginning of what the chip is capable of doing. In the article, “Privacy concerns grow with the use of RFID tags”, numerous ways of using these RFID chips are expressed. Whether it is keeping track of children, following the progress of a marathon runner, or counting the number of times one refills a cup, these RFID chips seem to be doing it all. Although, people have one common concern: can it do too much?

“Things are exploding”, said Victor Vega of Morgan Hill RFID when he described the recent growth of this technology. On one hand, this “explosion” is one that I believe provides an abundance of advantages. Say, for example, a family member was running a marathon, but unfortunately you were unable to attend. Not a problem! RFID chips allow you to follow the progress of your family member as he or she runs the marathon. Or imagine walking up to a movie poster and being able to touch it with your phone allowing you to have instant access to its trailer. RFID chips make this possible. They also have the ability to allow a customer to go to a clothing store, and without even looking, know if their size is present or available. The list of uses for this technology goes on. Despite the seemingly endless usage for this technology, there is a growing concern for the privacy issues that come along with it.

And it is these privacy issues, in my opinion, that could potentially stunt the growth of this market. Check out the reaction of Wal-Mart customers after hearing about the stores latest use for the RFID chips:


Perhaps more severely, there are schools that have installed these chips into the uniforms of their young students. They do this with the intentions of eliminating the traditional roll-call-style of attendance in addition to knowing the location of the children at all times. Sounds great, right? Despite how beneficial it is to teachers, the aspect being over looked here is the privacy issue. Without proper security, the well-being of the pre-school children is put into jeopardy, as their information could be instantly accessed through these chips by someone within 100 meters, or about one football field. As a parent, how would that make you feel? See this video for further analysis on this concern:


There is no doubt that RFID technology offers a tremendous amount of benefits for businesses and people across the world. But as these chips become increasingly powerful, it is becoming more concerning than intriguing. Knowing this, I believe that it is important to limit the way we use this powerful technology in the future, because at times, it can do too much.

Sources:
-http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Privacy-concerns-grow-with-the-use-of-RFID-tags-3175330.php
-http://adventofdeception.com/coca-cola-facebook-rfid-chip/
-http://www.rfidjournal.com/article/view/1338


4 comments:

  1. When I watched the video you posted, I thought that the RFID technology was extremely powerful and useful for a situation such as the Coca-Cola social event. I think this technology can have a positive result but only if it used correctly and appropriately. You described how the possibilities with this technology are endless, which is scary in a way. This technology has the potential to do harm if it is used in the wrong way. I think that using it, as a tracking device for children is risky and may not be as safe as it sounds. The technology could easily be abused, and it seems that there are loopholes. For example, since the chip is filled with so much personal information, getting a chip stolen could be detrimental to one’s identity. Although it’s abilities are fascinating, I think this technology does need to be limited in some way and not taken advantage of.

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  2. Although RFID technology can be an extremely beneficial tool for a company, customers should have the right to privacy. I believe that Walmart crossed the line by embedding RFID chips in their clothing without their customers knowing. The clothing should be clearly labeled warning the purchaser to remove the tag. In my opinion, customers deserve the right to privacy and laws should be enacted to protect them from unauthorized RFID chip use.

    I don’t believe that using RFID chips in uniforms to track children at school is a just use of the technology. This is another example of an invasion of privacy. If the information is somehow obtained by an unauthorized person, the students’ safety can be seriously compromised.

    Some states have already outlawed RFID tagging. Washington State passed a law to “outlaw the use of RFID ‘spy technologies’ to collect consumer information without the owner’s consent.” In California, the Senate Bill 362 was passed to “prohibit employers and others from forcing anyone to have a RFID deice implanted under their skin.” With technology rapidly improving, preventative measures must be taken to ensure that people’s privacy rights are not violated.

    Sources:
    http://arstechnica.com/security/2008/03/washington-state-passes-rfid-privacy-law-wheres-uncle-sam/
    https://www.aclunc.org/issues/technology/blog/california_rfid_bill_signed_into_law_today_by_governor.shtml

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  4. After reading about the RFID chip I was completely shocked. Originally, I believed the concept was innovating and extremely useful. That was primarily because I loved the fact that during my half-marathon my parents could track me throughout the course. Although, I never thought of the possibility that someone else could be tracking me.

    RFID chips are incredible, but only with the consent of the person. As a customer of Wal-Mart, I was unaware that some of their products contain the RFID chip. Shouldn’t that be common information for all customers?

    I am sure Wal-Mart is not trying to follow their customers or break any privacy boundaries, but in a world where anything can happen, I cannot help but think: what if?

    In order for this upcoming trend of planting RFID chips in products or even on people to be effective their needs to be limitations. Wal-Mart needs to inform all customers about the chip and remove it right after purchase. If more companies promote solely the business and safety purposes of the chip, I believe there is no harm in that.

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