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.
RFID technology also enables retailers and corporations to pry into the lives of consumers in ways that were, until recently, off limits.
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.
RFID systems enable tagged objects to speak to electronic readers over the course of a product's lifetime—from production to disposal—providing retailers with an unblinking, voyeuristic view of consumer attitudes and purchase behavior.
In RFID system, individual objects are equipped with a small, inexpensive tag which contains a transponder with a digital memory chip that is given a unique electronic product code.
RFID tags come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. Some tags are easy to spot, such as the hard plastic anti-theft tags attached to merchandise in stores, animal tracking systems, vehicles, people or even currency.
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2. How do these applications threaten personal privacy? How serious is this threat?
ReplyDeleteAns) 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. This means that if a person enters a store carrying several RFID tags—for example, in articles of clothing or cards carried in a wallet—one RFID reader can read the data emitted by all of the tags, and not simply the signal relayed by in-store products. This capacity enables retailers with RFID readers to compile a more complete profile of shoppers than would be possible by simply scanning the bar codes of products a consumer purchases.
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.
ReplyDeleteRFID tags are allowing for some 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.
SOURCE:
ReplyDeletehttp://epic.org/privacy/rfid/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rfid