March 2, 2005. Copyright 2005, Graphic News. All rights reserved

Growth in radio ID tracking raises fears for personal privacy
By Mark Rutter

LONDON, March 2, Graphic News:  Tiny computer chips able to respond to radio signals from a remote transmitter are increasingly finding their way into everyday products. Proponents of the technology, known as radio frequency identification (RFID) tags, say that it will bring wide-ranging benefits to consumers, such as allowing stolen items to be traced. However, civil liberty groups are voicing their concerns over possible abuses of the technology, which they say could threaten individual privacy.

The history of RFID devices goes back to World War II, when basic devices were employed by the British to identify returning friendly aircraft. Although RFID devices went on to become valuable espionage tools immediately after the war, it is only in the last few years that progress has been made on producing miniaturised, more powerful and cheaper RFID tags, barely visible with the naked eye.

RFID tags are already found in several applications such as animal identification, building access control and airline baggage labelling. However, it is retailing that is most likely to benefit from RFID technology as, unlike barcodes, RFID tags can be made unique to a single item. They have been tested successfully in tracking goods through the supply chain and improving stock control at a Metro store in Germany, while some UK supermarkets are testing smart shelf technology in conjunction with several lager manufacturers. The tags can also include theft protection and expiry date information.

Privacy campaigners argue that the risk of misuse of the technology should be given more consideration as it could be used to track individuals carrying a product containing a tag, or linked to credit card details of a buyer. Although the majority of consumers remain ignorant of RFID and its implications, concerns are growing. A recent survey of 2,000 consumers found that more than half had privacy worries about the tags.

Several countries are planning to embed an RFID device in new passports to improve security and enable machine reading of personal data, including name, date and place of birth. More controversially, the U.S. government is consulting on plans to introduce RFID-enabled passports without encrypting the personal data, claiming that it would improve international compatibility.

Critics say that this lays the system open to abuse by criminals who could read the information directly from the RFID chip of a passing passport holder. There are also risks for U.S. citizens travelling abroad of transmitting personal details like nationality.

With the price of RFID tags predicted to fall to under a penny in the next few years, a mass roll out to millions of products is now a very real possibility. Retailers see the obvious benefits, with the likes of Wal-Mart and Tesco requiring its supply chain to be RFID-compliant in the next few years. The only remaining obstacle is consumer power, fuelled by the fear of unwelcome snooping. But even this seems unlikely to succeed in preventing the technology being used in passports and other identity documents.
/ENDS