Radio Frequency Identification: Just like a smart bar code, RFID implementation is growng in immense proportions. From computer manufacturers, repair facilities, the pharmaceutical industry, WalMart’s inventory control and asset management (right down to the manufactuing level) to forestry and even construction, RFID implementation is growing.
At what point does RFID become intrusive though? When I first started studying the industry, I had visions of products in my home being tracked and monitored as to when I use them, when they are moved and when they are disposed of(don’t laugh, it’s very easy to do). Now as I have learned a great deal more about RFID and it’s immense number of applications, I see things in a different light altogether.
If a compeny with $5M in inventory can complete an ACCURATE inventory check in less than 15 minutes, then the possible savings in supply chain management are smply overwhelming.
But again I revert to when is it too intrisuve? After the big issue with Firestone tires on Ford Explorers they initiated an Act, T.R.E.A.D Act, to tag all new manufactured OEM tires so that they can easily be monitored and recalled as needed.
Scenario: you are a 16 year old schoolboy, while sitting on a public bus, a manufacturer has an RFID system installed in it’s advertising posters on board the bus. Your Nike school bag, NFL jacket, Apple i-Pod etc. are all tagged with RFID so you can essentially be ‘tracked’ in real time as to where you go (where you live), how many other people at your school use these products also, demographic data collection at it’s best.
Intrusive yet?
BUT, as far as RFID manufacturers are concerned there needs to be some form of TRUST that you have in manufacturer’s.
One manufacturer comments;
[i]”The privacy issues under so much discussion really have less to do with RFID than with basic trust. Today, individuals hand over data about themselves to other entities?whether it?s a bank or retail outfit?in return for some benefit. And they trust that those organizations will use the information ethically. There is also a great deal of legislation on the books that enforces that practice. The question associated with RFID is more related to an ?unauthorized? use of data that has been transmitted from an RFID tag. The question then becomes, ?How can unauthorized users use the data to find out about the individual who is carrying the tag?? And basically the answer is that they can?t. Whether the tag carries the EPC or any other bit of data, it is meaningless unless one has access to the database that gives the data context or meaning. There is no personal identification information on the tag.”[/i]
So will RFID become WIDELY misused and abused? The US DoD and HomeLand security implements RFID technology for tracking cargo already, they are also looking at ways to track inbound container shipments, for quick customs scans.
So it seems that it all boils down to trust, but at what point do we stop trusting the sources as they becoem so widely used we don’t know who we are offering this information to?
As you can see, I still have mixed feelings and the more I investigate, implement RFID solutions, the more I see both sides, a benefit and an intrusion.
What’s your take?