RFID is Watching You

by Nicki Hayes, February 19, 2002

Sun Microsystems' sponsorship of MIT's Auto-ID Center gives RFID the green light but could concerns over privacy cause an emergency stop? WDN's Nicki Hayes investigates and invites expert opinion in our new online debate "Holding Court"

It looks like RFID (radio frequency identification) is about to come of age. In fact, with the level of backing that MIT's RFID program the Auto-ID Center now has, it could soon be as ubiquitous as money. Sun Microsystems is the latest to announce its support, joining other big brand names such as Procter and Gamble, Gillette, International Paper, Wal-Mart and Tesco. Together this industry co-operative aims to help build wireless digital identification tags into everything, from razor blades to magazines to pharmaceuticals to milk cartons. But while such universal tagging scores bumper points in terms of convenience there are growing concerns that it may not meet the world's legal requirements regarding privacy. Could RFID turn out to be more 1984 than 2002?

The Auto-ID Center's first goal is to identify next-generation technology and standards that place unique electromagnetic identification on each individual manufactured product. This, together with short-range wireless scanning technology, could soon replace and add value to bar code and other contact based technologies. Such standards and technology could, for example, enable a machine to scan and identify a product and access crucial information about it such as when and where it was made or shipped, or how it should be handled, prepared or used. Potential advantages include fresher and safer products, a significant reduction in supply chain costs and enhanced recycling practices. Potential disadvantages include invasion of privacy and the minefield of government mandates that subject brings with it.

The project also plans to use the internet to streamline supply chain management by identifying and communicating every step of a product's life cycle. For instance, if a bottle of antibiotics experiences temperature fluctuations, the expiration date could be automatically adjusted; or the system could send a signal to ensure that the product never makes it to the shelf; or a warning could be directly issued to hospitals or consumers. Such innovations could ultimately allow a consumer's medicine cabinet to "speak" to the pharmacist to refill a prescription; or let a microwave oven "talk" with a frozen dinner to set its cooking time; or have a refrigerator alert a consumer that he/she is running out of milk. They could also allow organizations and individuals to track information about consumers' personal lives, facilitating effective targeting of marketing campaigns; or stalking; or fraud.

"The service-driven network, as outlined in this project, is destined to improve the quality of the supply chain from manufacturer all the way to the end-user and recycler by simplifying its access to a variety of information, communication tools and services," said Bill Joy, chief scientist, Sun Microsystems Inc. "By combining the strengths of key industry partners with a common focus on open standards, we can deliver on a mutual vision of a networked environment where devices seamlessly connect and intelligently communicate to improve the quality of life."

RFID based networks are already improving the quality of many of our lives and perhaps even saving lives - take the scenario of RFID based car services that automatically phone paramedics when an airbag is activated in a car. But such a networked environment brings with it many privacy issues, issues that may not meet the standards required by worldwide governmental regulations. For if RFID becomes as widespread as is predicted (Frost and Sullivan forecast that the market will grow be worth $277.82 million by 2004 -a figure which seems pretty achievable with such a formidable partnership in operation) details on every aspect of our lives will soon be openly available. Information about what we eat, what we read, what medication we're on, where we go and how we get there is valuable to marketers, detectives, stalkers, fraudsters, counterfeiters and hackers - to name but a few potential beneficiaries. RFID could provide all this information and more. And with the need to minimize the cost of such tags - the goal is 5 US cents per tag - the inclusion of any form of security software which delivers privacy is unlikely, even if these tags did have the power required to run such software without impeding performance.

What do you think? Should concerns about privacy be allowed to impede RFID's progress? Whether you can offer technical, legal or philosophical evidence supporting or discrediting such claims, why not join the online debate in WDN's new monthly Holding Court ™ feature? WDN will provide a summary of such expert evidence next month before asking our community of wireless developers to cast the final vote.

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About the author:
Nicki Hayes is The Wireless Developer Network's (www.wirelessdevnet.com) European correspondent and the part-time judge part-time jester of its new online debate - Holding Court. Nicki also takes on freelance writing and corporate communication projects relating to business to business internet and wireless issues and has contributed editorial to a number of publications including Unstrung.com, Wireless Business & Technology, Guardian Online, Financial Times, Banking & Financial Training, eAI Journal and Secure Computing.

About the WirelessDevNet (www.wirelessdevnet.com):
The Wireless Developer Network is an on-line community for information technology professionals interested in mobile computing and communications. Our mission is to assist developers, strategists, and managers in bridging the gap between today's desktop and enterprise applications and tomorrow's mobile users communicating via wireless networks. We are interested in supporting the deployment of these evolving technologies through high-quality technical information, news, industry coverage, and commentary. This information is provided within a true on-line community that supports developer/vendor dialogue through message boards and user-submitted tips, articles, links, and software downloads.