RFID Today

RFID: Facial Profiling

2008-08-27T16:04:00.002-04:00

I've been in a state of ennui about RFID - Wal Mart demands it, the government wants it, the citizenry decry it, techies deploy it, blah, blah, blah, nothing new - but Emily Steel's August 21, 2008 report in the Wall Street Journal (The Ad Changes
With the Shopper In Front of It) electrified me.

Steel writes: “In the latest effort to tailor ads to specific consumers, marketers are starting to personalize in-store promotions based on products the consumer recently picked off a shelf or purchased -- and in the near future, based on what the shopper looks like.” Steel goes on to describe a relatively mundane Procter & Gamble RFID deployment at a Metro Extra store in Germany and a specific marketing effort at two Dunkin' Donuts locations in Buffalo, New York.

Then her article gets interesting: “Most of the experimentation by marketers is being done with the new digital screens that are appearing next to cash registers and in store aisles. Because cameras are embedded in many of these digital screens displaying the ads, marketers are hoping to serve up ads based on the consumer's appearance.

The company powering the screens for Dunkin', YCD Multimedia, is in the midst of deploying facial-recognition technologies that can classify people into certain demographic groups by identifying their approximate age and their sex.

Companies in the securities industries have been experimenting with facial-recognition technologies for some time. The technology often works by capturing an image of a person and using sophisticated algorithms to analyze features like the size and shape of the nose, eyes, cheekbones and jaw line -- against databases of face information. At the 2001 Super Bowl in Tampa Bay, Fla., for instance, security officials used facial-recognition technologies to scan for terrorists and known criminals.”

As menacing as the technology sounds, it was Steel's closing line that really set my hair on end: “Technology firms hope to ward off any potential privacy issues by not capturing and storing any personally identifiable information about consumers.”

WHAT?!?! “Not capturing and storing any personally identifiable information about consumers”... other than capturing the facial scan. And other than capturing and storing the consumers electronic transaction data. And other than capturing and storing an electronic dossier of what method of payment was made in whose name and of what billing address. So, other than capturing and storing all of that information (some of which is distinctly personally identifiable) and simultaneously capturing a facial scan (by nature as personally identifiable as it gets) and capturing and storing the relationship between the tandem captures, this nifty lil' technology poses no potential threat to consumer privacy.

More to follow.

Sally Bacchetta - Freelance Writer
Freelance Writer
RFID

RFID and Wal-Mart: It's All About Money

2008-05-05T16:31:00.000-04:00

RFID and Wal-Mart: It's all about money
By Frank Hayes

May 5, 2008 (Computerworld) What if you threw a technology party and nobody came? Wal-Mart is in that position with RFID. In 2003, the retail giant said it wanted its 100 largest suppliers to put an RFID tag on every pallet of merchandise delivered after January 2005 -- and the rest of its suppliers to join the party soon after. But as Computerworld's Sharon Gaudin reported last week, it hasn't worked out that way.

Five years in, Wal-Mart says many of its top suppliers are tagging their pallets. Some, like Procter & Gamble, met the 2005 deadline. But about 70 of the top 100 didn't. Today, some smaller suppliers are on board as well, including Daisy, a family-owned sour cream maker that started RFID tagging in 2006.

But most of Wal-Mart's 60,000 suppliers aren't using RFID. They complain about costs and technology immaturity and costs and lack of examples and -- oh yeah -- costs. But, bottom line, they're not doing it.

By any reasonable measure, that marks Wal-Mart's RFID mandate as a failure. After half a decade, the party seems to be over.

You're probably not Wal-Mart. But on a smaller scale, you have the same problem. You have to find ways to get suppliers on board when you're trying to implement a new technology that extends beyond your business.

Maybe it's RFID, or old-style EDI, or a supply chain system. Whatever it is, there's one thing you've got to remember:

It's all about money.

It's not about technology. It's not about business processes. It's not about the size of the supplier or customer. It's not about coercion or cooperation.

In the end, it's about the cost of doing business. Cost is what your new system is intended to reduce for your company. And cost is what will make partners balk at signing on.

That's important to remember, because we in IT tend to see the world in terms of technology and process and scale and integration. To us, money isn't the hard part. But for suppliers being strong-armed into an IT project, money may be the biggest part of the deal.

And that can be an advantage.

Case in point: Wal-Mart's answer to suppliers that still haven't implemented RFID is a money solution. Wal-Mart subsidiary Sam's Club will soon start charging suppliers $2 or more for each pallet that doesn't have an RFID tag.

It's a clever solution: Wal-Mart isn't calling it a penalty, just a charge for putting the 10-cent RFID tag on the pallet. And that makes the supplier's business decision one about the cost of implementing RFID vs. the cost of not implementing it.

Even Wal-Mart can't force suppliers to join its RFID party. But the company can turn a decision about technology into one that's about dollars.

You can't force partners to buy into your technology plans, either. And your CEO won't dump a supplier just because it doesn't conform to IT's plans.

So assume that some suppliers won't buy in. Be sure you build a way around that problem into your technology plan. And make certain you include from the start what Wal-Mart only added years after its original RFID mandate: a clear dollar cost to suppliers that reject your new technology.

That way, you don't need to count on buy-in. And you won't have to eat the cost of that half-empty party yourself.

Sure, you'll still have to sell that idea to your CEO. But even the most tech-clueless CEO understands money. And that somebody has to pay for the party -- one way or another.

Frank Hayes is Computerworld's senior news columnist. Contact him at frank_hayes@ computerworld.com.

Sally Bacchetta - Freelance Writer
Freelance Writer
RFID

RFID: Software Advice.com

2008-04-23T08:10:00.001-04:00

It's no surprise that RFID has become a hot topic in retail over the past few years. With recent gains in technology, RFID is now more accessible than ever and small retailers are directly reaping the benefits.

Software Advice recently wrote an article on the trend that highlights four key points for the small retailer:

1. RFID reports provide greater transparency into product movement along the supply chain and help retailers avoid stock-outs.
2. RFID makes inventory tracking simple. Instead of scanning each item individually, a handheld RFID scanner can count a box of inventory in one sweep.
3. RFID minimizes the potential for human error at the point-of-sale.
4. RFID dramatically reduces customer checkout time as cashiers can complete a sale without having to scan individual tags.

The article, aptly titled An RFID Primer for the Small Retailer is clearly written for those new to RFID. However, the Software Advice.com web site offers a range of software solutions resources for the novice to the sophisticate in the construction, medical, and retail industries. Worth checking out if you're in the market.

Sally Bacchetta - Freelance Writer
Freelance Writer
RFID

RFID: She Wore An Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny ID Chip In Her Bikini

2007-08-04T18:15:00.000-04:00

In her July 26, 2007, RFID Journal article
Ocean City Plans to RFID-enable Its Beaches, Mary Catherine O'Connor reports that the New Jersey community of Ocean City plans to replace their current system of inert plastic access cards with "waterproof, plastic wristbands containing passive RFID inlays" by the summer of 2009, with the goal of making "a trip to the beach more pleasant and convenient for the many vacationers who spend much of their summer there."

If these RFID wristbands will be so pleasant and convenient for beach visitors, why do Ocean City administrators (or is it MRI, the consultancy helping the city develop the wristband system) falsely water down the capabilities of the proposed RFID system?

According to O'Connor's report, “Fixed-position RFID interrogators mounted at entrance and exit points throughout the beach and boardwalk will read the visitors' wristbands, then use the Wi-Fi connection to transmit the RFID data over the wireless network to city administrators. The officials will then be able to maintain rough estimates of the number of people on the beach and boardwalk throughout each day, and to determine security and clean-up staffing levels accordingly.”

In reality, tagging visitors with RFID wristbands will provide much more than “rough estimates of the number of people on the beach and boardwalk”. The Ocean City plan to link “a payment account, such as a credit or debit card, to the number encoded to each wristband” (in order to simplify transactions with food and parking vendors) means that city administrators will know exactly how many people are on the beach and boardwalk each day and – more importantly - exactly who those people are. They will know where you park, what food and drinks you purchase, who you socialize with (and where and for how long), when and for how long you are in the bathroom, and exactly when you leave the beach.

I realize that we're not dealing with deep, dark secrets here, but do you really want strangers spying on you like this?

I doubt that anyone at the Ocean City visitor's bureau will explain the RFID wristbands to you that way.

Sally Bacchetta - Freelance Writer
Freelance Writer
RFID

RFID: Seminar to Address RFID Legal and Public Policy Issues

2007-04-15T15:53:00.001-04:00

As appeared in RFID Journal:

Seminar to Address RFID Legal and Public Policy Issues

Leading legal and policy experts will address privacy, data security, government mandates, patent liabilities and other critical issues.

April 9, 2007—International law firm McKenna Long & Aldridge and U.S. trade group Information Technology Association of America (ITAA) will cosponsor an RFID Legal and Public Policy preconference seminar at RFID Journal LIVE! 2007, being held April 30 to May 2 in Orlando, Fla., at Disney's Coronado Springs Resort. During the seminar, scheduled for the afternoon of April 30, leading legal and policy experts will address privacy, data security, government mandates, patent liabilities and other critical issues.

"This is a chance for RFID technology providers, end users and implementers to learn what potential liabilities they face as they sell or adopt RFID systems," says Mark Roberti, editor and founder of RFID Journal. "It's also an opportunity for corporate legal teams and business leaders to learn about the potential impact that government adoption and legislation of RFID technologies will have on their businesses."

Dan Caprio, president of the Progress & Freedom Foundation; Kathleen Carroll, director of government relations for HID, a leading manufacturer of proximity and smart card technologies; Jim Harper, director of information policy studies at the Cato Institute, and Doug Farry, managing director of McKenna Long & Aldridge, will bring attendees up to date on legislation introduced by a number of states to control RFID as well as the implications of electronic privacy and data-security legislation being considered by the federal government.

Jennifer Kerber, a director of the Information Technology Association of America, and Joe Rinzel, vice president of state government affairs for the Retail Industry Leaders Association, will address the likely impact of government RFID mandates, including state drug-pedigree laws and possible pedigree rules from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Mark Powell, director of the Technology Center of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office; Rel Ambrozy, a partner with McKenna Long & Aldridge; and Doug Farry of McKenna Long & Aldridge will inform attendees about possible patent infringement lawsuits and how end users can protect themselves from such suits. The panel will also explain how the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office is changing the way patents are filed and disputes are resolved as part of sweeping changes in U.S. patent law proposed by Congress.

Various countries around the world have assigned different parts of the UHF spectrum and different interference standards for RFID use, which increases the cost of RFID products and adds to the complexity of global deployments. In the United States, the Bush administration is developing comprehensive policies designed to better allocate and manage limited spectrum for an increasing number of competing technologies, including Wi-Fi, WiMAX and RFID. The new policy might very well impact where RFID systems can operate and under what rules and conditions. Changes in domestic and international spectrum allocations and standards could have a big impact on RFID technology providers and end users.

Sally Bacchetta - Freelance Writer
Freelance Writer
RFID

RFID: Trossen Robotics - Playing With a Full Deck

2007-02-01T09:04:00.000-05:00

Trossen Robotics announces their RFID Playing Card kit, which includes 2 complete matching decks and 60 RFID labels (54 for cards + 6 extra).

Some assembly is required (kits are shipped with labels not yet applied)and according to Trossen "...this deck is meant for fun & experimental purposes. The RFID labels are different sizes than the cards and are hard to place perfectly so a sharp eye could learn which cards are which. This deck is intended for home projects, school projects, demonstrations, proof of concept, etc."

What will this mean for the amateur gambler?

Sally Bacchetta - Freelance Writer
Freelance Writer
RFID

RFID: Spying Has Never Been Cheaper

2007-01-03T08:27:00.000-05:00

According to trolleyscan.com, Trolley Scan has introduced "small RFID reader systems which give new users the ability to evaluate UHF RFID and their applications without needing specialised skills." (Great! Why should the lack of specialized skills stand in the way of violating someone else's privacy?)

"The systems are supplied with one of two versions of their famous low power transponders - among the smallest, lowest power passive UHF transponders available anywhere in the world - and the super sensitive receiver capable of reading credit card sized transponders from 2 cms to 13 meters from the reader.The tags can also be attached to metal objects still giving full operating range.

The systems comprise a reader, antennas and 100 transponders based on the EcoTag technology. The user just connects the reader to a computer to have a fully operational system."

Trolley Scan offers complete kits in two sizes:
Small - 100 transponders for EURO1800 (approx US$2340) plus shipping and local taxes, and the more ambitious Medium - 1000 transponders for EURO4500 (approx US$5850) plus shipping and local taxes.

Check back soon for the ultimate in spying convenience - Trolley Scan's portable reader, which will be available for an additional EURO100.

Thanks, Trolley Scan, for keeping invasion within the reach of the working class!

Sally Bacchetta - Freelance Writer
Freelance Writer
RFID

RFID: Net Neutrality

2006-11-04T14:57:00.000-05:00

Nothing expands our commerce, education, politics or recreation as much as the Internet. True? False.

The real information mover-and-shaker is Network Neutrality. Net Neutrality is the principle that protects a free and open Internet by preserving equal access to the Internet. That's the way the Internet has always been and should always be.

However, some very familiar names in the telephone and cable industries would like to change that. Dramatically. AT&T, Verizon, Comcast and Time Warner are spending huge amounts of money lobbying Congress for legislation that would allow them to control which web sites you can access first and fastest.

Sound crazy? Yes, it does, because it is. It's also terribly real.

Their Lex Lutherian goal is to control Internet access by providing faster Internet service for companies willing to pay higher fees, and slower or nonexistent service for those who can't or won't.

If you don't think this is your problem, think about this: The Internet sans Neutrality will resemble cable TV. Network owners will have the power to choose (or at least influence) the content and applications that are available to you.

If you're a small business owner, you'd better hope that you can afford to pay the premium rate, or customers and potential customers will never see your web site.

If you're an Internet consumer (and you must be if you're reading this online blog), you'd better hope that your telephone or cable company likes the same sites that you do, or you may never have access to them again.

Congress is right now considering legislation to protect Net Neutrality, and the telecom giants are fighting hard against it. Their biggest advantage is the lack of consumer awareness.

I'll be writing more about this in the weeks ahead. For now, please educate yourself at Save the Internet.

NOTE: There is a group called "Hands Off the Internet" which is part of a telecom disinformation campaign. Don't fall for it.

Sally Bacchetta - Freelance Writer
Freelance Writer
RFID

RFID: Security Falls Short

2006-09-22T08:02:00.000-04:00

Excerpted from an article by Mary Catherine O'Connor in the RFID Journal, September 21, 2006:

Forrester Says RFID Security Falls Short for Some Apps
Companies deploying RFID for payments or other applications requiring strong security are taking risks today, the research firm reports, while users of RFID in small-scale, standalone tagging systems for supply-chain apps are less vulnerable.

In a newly published report by market-research firm Forrester, lead author and senior analyst Paul Stamp concludes that with respect to data security, passive RFID tags and readers as they are currently designed are only appropriate for a limited number of scenarios.

The current levels of data protection for RFID tags are sufficient with regard to basic slap-and-ship applications of RFID for improved supply-chain visibility, the report says. However, users who want to encode sensitive data to tags, or to store that data in RFID middleware integrated into a company’s back-end IT systems or shared with trading partners, could be taking serious risks. “RFID technology is not mature enough yet to protect your company secrets,” it says.

The report, entitled “Anyone Who Says RFID Is ‘Completely Secure’ Is Selling Something,” describes the main areas of vulnerability within an RFID deployment and provides recommendations in the form of steps companies should take to protect data. The same types of attacks to which any type of database is vulnerable could be levied against RFID middleware, it warns. To secure middleware, the authors urge developers to use secure coding practices and filters that ensure that tag data sent to the middleware is not corrupt. According to the report, as companies begin to integrate RFID software and databases into their enterprise software, and to trade tag data with supply-chain partners, a “corrupt back-end database could wreak havoc on an entire supply chain, negating any efficiency that the RFID system originally provided.”

The report suggests RFID users develop business processes within their RFID deployment that include steps to have employees check the presence and condition of tags attached to products, rather than fully automating the system so that no one checks them. It also notes that RFID tags themselves can be tampered with, rather than just read by unauthorized parties. Thus, it recommends that if RFID tags are used as security tools in a retail environment, employees should “physically monitor items to ensure that tags have not been removed or replaced.” Otherwise, the report states, a thief could more easily steal the product because it would pass through interrogators undetected.

Passive tags on the market today, including the ISO 14443 inlays used in some credit cards from MasterCard, Visa and American Express, lack the processing power needed to enable tags to encrypt the data they transmit to readers, Mulligan says. Instead, the reader encrypts its initial request for data from the tag, and the tag responds. This opens up RFID transactions to relay attacks, in which a mole device is placed near a legitimate RFID-enabled card so it can relay the card’s response to the interrogator linked to a point-of-sale system. Through a relay attack, someone could make a transaction by pulling the tag data from an unsuspecting consumer’s RFID tag in his or her wallet (see The Consequences of Convenience). If successful, this kind of attack would result in an unsuspecting consumer’s account being charged for goods he or she did not purchase.

The article predicts that by the latter half of 2007, passive tags will possess the memory and processing power required to encrypt data before transmitting it back to an interrogator. It adds that companies looking to deploy RFID for applications in which data requires full encryption (both interrogator data and tag data) should wait to deploy until these tags are available. The National Science Foundation (NSF)recently awarded a $1.1 million grant to the Consortium for Security and Privacy, which will work to improve encryption schemes on passive tags (see RFID Security Consortium Receives $1.1 Million NSF Grant).

The full, six-page report is available for download from Forrester’s Web site. Current Forrester clients can log into the site for free, while others must pay a $349 download fee.

Sally Bacchetta - Freelance Writer
Freelance Writer
RFID

RFID: Spychips Update

2006-08-28T10:14:00.000-04:00

Yes, yes, I realize that 8/24 has come and gone. The review is taking me longer than planned, but Spychips is the first book of it's kind, and I don't want to short-change the review to meet my deadline. It's too important. Thank you for bearing with me. My new target date is 8/31. (Yes, 2006!)

Sally Bacchetta - Freelance Writer
Freelance Writer
RFID

RFID: Be Wary of Roberti's Opposition

2006-08-17T16:11:00.000-04:00

In his 8/11/06 opinion piece Be Wary of Religious Opposition to RFID, RFID Journal editor Mark Roberti unsuccessfully attempts to marginalize consumer privacy concerns by pigeonhole-ing Katherine Albrecht as a religious zealot whose opposition to RFID is more about saving souls than saving privacy rights.

Although he acknowledges the duality of Albrecht's motivation, "My guess is she [Albrecht] would say she cares about both—preventing the end of the world and preventing the invasion of privacy." Roberti flatly ignores the privacy issue and says instead that "her [Albrecht's] views raise the question of whether she is hyping privacy concerns to achieve her religious goals." (Unlike you, Mr. Roberti, who downplay privacy concerns to achieve your commercial goals.)

In spite of his pretense, Roberti is well aware of the legitimacy of consumer privacy concerns. He is well aware that Albrecht has emerged as a leading consumer advocate because of her reasoned, substantiated protest against the unauthorized invasion of technology into private lives, not because of her religious views. The alignment of her politics and her religion are no more relevant than mine or Roberti's.

Roberti continues: "My point here, though, is that while individuals have the right to reject a new technology and even campaign against it, societies should be wary about banning technologies for religious reasons."

For once, I agree with him. RFID should not be banned or curtailed for religious reasons. There are plenty of other reasons why RFID should be banned or curtailed.

And plenty of reasons why it should be employed.

Proponents and opponents of RFID will make progress only through mature dialogue, not by making caricatures of each other.

Roberti's latest attempted smear is irresponsible and childish; even desperate. Perhaps he fears that The End truly is near.

Sally Bacchetta - Freelance Writer
Freelance Writer
RFID

RFID: Spy Chips Review Coming Soon

2006-08-09T07:50:00.000-04:00

A series of professional and personal developments has taken most of my time since early summer. I'm happy to report that things are settling down and I'm beginning the work of bringing this blog back up to speed.

On Thursday 8/24/06 I will post my review of Albrecht & McIntyre's book Spychips. I'm grateful to my friend and fellow RFID reporter James Mata (zombiewire.com and rfidetail.com) for his gentle persistence on this issue.

I'll talk to you soon!

Sally Bacchetta - Freelance Writer
Freelance Writer
RFID

RFID: Biomet - The Bees Knees

2006-06-17T08:17:00.000-04:00

From Jonathan Collins, RFID Journal, June 9, 2006:

Orthopedic implants manufacturer Biomet is set to start an RFID-tagging project in Holland. The company believes this will improve service to its customers, as well as its own reverse logistics.

Starting in July, the company's Biomet Europe division will add EPC Gen 2 UHF tags to orthopedic knee implant items in five "loaner" sets it already sends to surgeons. Each set contains around 100 parts. By adding an RFID tag to the plastic packaging surrounding each part, the company believes it can better ensure that loaner sets are complete before being shipped, then quickly and correctly checked upon return.

Each set contains all the component implant parts required to replace and repair knees, hips or other joints. One knee operation might use up to 10 separate items. While many items are shipped in a set, only a few modular parts will be used for each particular operation. After the needed parts are selected, the remainder of the set will be returned to Biomet's distribution center in Dordrecht, the Netherlands.

After the parts have been returned to the DC, the company will have to determine which items have been removed from the set in order to invoice correctly for items used. Biomet will then need to replenish the loaner set before sending it out once more.

Currently, all items are identified by means of a bar-coded label attached to an item's packaging. To check for missing items and calculate an invoice, a task worker must scan every barcode—a time-consuming, error-prone process that can take up to 20 minutes. Biomet expects to be able to increase productivity in its warehouse by using RFID to track this consignment stock, as well as improve stock counts, delivery reliability and turnover.

During the trial, replacement items slated to be added to the loaner set will have to be tagged as part of the replenishment process. For this and other reasons, the company says it has not yet studied how much time it could ultimately save by using RFID.

Sally Bacchetta - Freelance Writer
Freelance Writer
RFID

RFID: RFID Journal and AAFA - Two Left Feet

2006-05-27T06:11:00.000-04:00

In August of this year RFID Journal and the American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA) will host "the first-ever RFID event specially designed to fit the needs of the Apparel & Footwear community".

In their invitation, Mark Roberti (Founder and Editor of RFID Journal) and Mary Howell (Vice President, Industry Relations, American Apparel & Footwear Association)promise RFID case studies and strategic deployment tips from early adopters and industry experts.

"Plus", they point out, "the entire conference is off limits to the press, so you can be sure you'll get candid insider insight that you can't hear anywhere else."

I remember when Roberti was light on his feet, soothing consumers with grand tales of a Brave New RFID-world; a world of lower prices, better service, and personalized inventory.

Although still an industry darling, Roberti has lost his public footing, turning from soothing to snubbing and now, finally, to silencing.

Labeling the press 'persona non grata' is a defensive maneuver. Mr. Roberti... Ms. Howell... what are you afraid of?

Sally Bacchetta - Freelance Writer
Freelance Writer
RFID

RFID: Logan's Run at Trolley Scan

2006-05-10T14:10:00.000-04:00

At the time of my 4/11/06 post, Trolley Scan's RFID-radar enabled proprietary remote tracking that was accurate to within 0.5 meters.

TS just announced a new, tricked-out version of RFID-radar that is accurate to within a few centimeters over a 100 meter operating range.

The new system is WAY faster, capable of more than 10,000 range calculations per second, and it is more cost efficient and simpler to manufacture than the original RFID-radar.

Trolley Scan announced that they are "now supplying this as a commercial version that can be used in everyday applications."

Everyday applications? Who are these guys, Sandmen?

Sally Bacchetta - Freelance Writer
Freelance Writer
RFID

RFID: Trolley Scan's RFID-radar

2006-04-11T14:24:00.000-04:00

Poof! There goes another layer of your privacy.

Trolley Scan of Johannesburg, South Africa has announced the delivery of the first commercialized version of "RFID-radar" to a European IT company.

RFID-radar enables a system user to accurately measure the distance travelled by a signal from a transponder to a reader. This provides users with the unique coordinates of a tagged entity, accurate to within 0.5 meters.

Let's say that you buy a ticket to a hockey game. That ticket is RFID-chipped to track your entry and exit through the RFID-rigged gate. Conventional RFID operates with a pass/fail system. When your ticket (and presumably you) pass through the entry gate, you are identified as being inside the rink. Somewhere. When you pass through the exit gate, you're identified as being outside the rink. Somewhere.

RFID-radar turbo-narrows the scope of "somewhere". You're no longer simply inside or outside the rink. You are now trackable to within a few feet of your skin.

If you think that's not a new capability of RFID, think again. Conventional RFID has a fairly limited read range. Until now, you would have had to install RFID readers every 10-25 feet to achieve this degree of scrutiny.

RFID-radar accomplishes this with only one reader, up to 300 feet away.

According to Mike Marsh, Managing Director of Trolley Scan, "RFID-radar will result in the development of an entire new set of applications for computer based equipment. As all measurements are performed from one set of antennas, the equipment can even be mounted on a forklift truck to locate goods in a warehouse relative to the current position of the vehicle."

Although he declined to give any details, Marsh said that Trolley Scan has been asked to install RFID-radar on a helicopter.

I can see it now: Here comes the zamboni! Quick, cover yourself in foil!

Sally Bacchetta - Freelance Writer
Freelance Writer
RFID

RFID: The Hunter Becomes The Hunted

2006-04-03T08:29:00.000-04:00

I don't remember the last time RFID made me LOL, but this sure did.

The Gillette Company applied RFID smart labels to all cases and pallets of their new Fusion razors shipped to 400 retail stores. On the issue of which retailers and which locations, Gillette is predictably vague. (They refuse to say)

On the issue of their own financial gain, Gillette is predictably pointed. According to Gillette, RFID enabled them to get the razors on store shelves in three days - eleven days faster than a typical product launch.

Here's the funny part: Gillette also tagged their promotional displays and tracked them to, and within, the 400 mystery stores. If a retailer took too long to move the razors or the promotional display to the sales floor, Gillette contacted the store manager and "requested" that they get the lead out. Ha!

I wonder how many retailers factored that into their business case for RFID.

Sally Bacchetta - Freelance Writer
Freelance Writer
RFID

RFID: Printed Electronics Will Change the World

2006-03-21T09:58:00.000-05:00

Printed Electronics Will Change the World
By Dr Peter Harrop IDTechEx

Printed electronics is rapidly moving from inventions to commercialisation. This transition will be explored in the conference Printed Electronics Europe April 20-21 in Churchill College Cambridge UK www.printelec.com. Bookings for the conference are at a record level.

Despite the academic setting, the conference covers the how, the when and the finance, not blue skies research. It is about how we shall print electronic clothing, lighting, books and the self adjusting use by date. Then there is the biodegradable, disposable mobile phone, iPod and laptop, cars that glow in the dark and every billboard, poster, airport screen, packet of drugs and shelf sign having a moving colour display in the form of low cost electronic paper or plastic film.

Speaker Dr Colin Marsh of The Technology Partnership in the UK says, “"The question is not whether printed electronics will change our world, but when. The first battle is being fought in the multi-billion-dollar markets of displays and data. Leaps in material performance and next-generation printing technologies are powering this drive to commercialisation." He will talk on “Novel manufacturing methods for printed electronics”.

The materials and processes are nearly in place to repeat the early commercial success of Organic Light Emitting Displays, which are increasingly printed, into many other electrical and electronic components and systems. For example, speaker Dr Reuben Rieke of Rieke Metals Inc in the US says, “There will be no shortage of printable organic semiconductors. They will be at a cost that will enable the whole industry to move forward. For example, the sub one cent RFID label will definitely happen.” Indeed, the potential for printed semiconductors may be even larger in photovoltaics, where acres of low cost power from the sun is in prospect. It will be printed onto low cost polymer film and tape and appear in many different locations. He will describe his new discoveries of printable semiconductors that consist of “Novel polythiophenes from highly reactive metals”.

It is now clear that no single printed display technology will fit all applications, or even most of them. Light emitting printed displays are poor in the sunlight and the eye cannot see the finest detail on them in the dark. Reflective displays have a place, both to replace paper and to provide moving colour images at economical cost and there are many complementary types of printed reflective display. For example, NTERA of the Republic of Ireland has a high definition electrochromic display technology of exceptional brightness and viewing angle that is compatible with LCD manufacturing processes. Speaker Dr David Corr, chief executive of NTERA, says, “We are very excited about the convergence of many complementary technologies that will drive critical mass and create a healthy printed electronics industry”. Richard Kirk, chief executive of elumin8, will talk about “New large area colour displays”. These printed displays are already commercially successful . They are DC electroluminescent and conform to the shape of a building – the ultimate versatile billboard.

Sally Bacchetta - Freelance Writer
Freelance Writer
RFID

RFID: EPC Tags Subject to Phone Attacks

2006-02-24T08:11:00.000-05:00

Excerpted from an article posted on RFID Journal Feb. 24, 2006
Each year, data security specialists attend RSA Security's annual conference to learn about the most recently discovered breaches in data security and encryption. When attendees gathered for the Cryptographers Panel during the RSA Conference 2006 last week in San Jose, Calif., they learned that one of these threats loom around RFID.

Adi Shamir, professor of computer science at the Weizmann Institute of Science, announced that he and a fellow Weizmann researcher, Yossi Oren, were able to kill an EPC Class 1 Gen 1 passive tag after hacking the tag to determine the kill password. While his experiment demonstrated only the ability to use a password to kill a tag, Shamir noted at the conference that in the future, passwords will likely be used to protect sensitive information encoded to EPC tags, and this same attack could be used to determine those passwords. In fact, according to Oren, the same method could be used find the larger kill passwords required to kill Gen 2 tags and could also be used to crack the protections around data on other types of tags, such as the account information and other personal data on RFID tags embedded in some credit cards.

Perhaps most troubling was Shamir's prediction that a power analysis attack on an RFID tag could be performed using a very common device. "While we have not implemented it, we believe that the cellular telephone has all the ingredients needed to carry out such an attack [to decipher a tag's password]," he said at the conference.

Oren explains that this would require the creation of firmware written to alter the phone's RF capability so that rather than communicating voice or data over a given phone network, it would instead search for EPC tags. The firmware running on the phone's operating system would then execute the attack. Phones using Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) technology commonly transmit at 900 or 1,800 MHz. Phones employing Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) technology, used mainly in the United States and Canada, transmit at 850 or 1,900 MHz. Because all both types of phones operate within the UHF band, says Oren, they could be used to communicate with UHF EPC tags.

Ari Juels, principal research scientist at RSA Laboratories, says this type of power analysis could also be used to crack key cryptography. This is what is used to protect account data encoded to the tag embedded in some credit cards. Although Juels does not know the amount of time or distance from the tag an attack on a HF tag would require, he says that if firmware were written to perform power analysis in order to determine the cryptographic key, thieves could use the key to make clones of the cards.

This wouldn't necessarily require the thief to make an exact clone of the tag or card, he says. "You could rejigger your mobile phone to simulate the credit card, and then go into a store to and use your phone to make a payment," he says. A growing number of merchants are enabling their POS systems to accept RFID payments. And while cellular phones operate in the UHF band, cell phones enabled for the near field communication protocol contain an RFID module that operates in the HF range (13.56 MHz), which is what the RFID credit card payment systems use.

Oren says that he hopes to publish, by next week, details on the power analysis attack they performed. He says he sent all of this documentation to EPCglobal already, and assumes that the technologists there are reviewing it.

EPCglobal, however, says the experiment applies mainly to Gen 1 tags, not Gen 2, which is the organization's main concern, and wouldn't provide further comment.

Sally Bacchetta - Freelance Writer
Freelance Writer
RFID

RFID: Motorola M-Wallet

2006-02-09T08:11:00.000-05:00

Excerpted from The Wall Street Journal, February 8, 2006, Using Your Cellphone as a Credit Card
"Motorola Inc. is planning to launch a system that will allow people to purchase products simply by waving a cellphone with an embedded chip over scanners at the cash register. Motorola is the first telecom-equipment maker to launch a large-scale mobile-wallet service in the U.S.

Before the service can be launched here, though, Motorola has to overcome several significant obstacles. First, it must cut a deal with a wireless carrier. Motorola... says it is in 'advanced discussion' with several cellphone companies and expects a deal later this year. ... Motorola also will have to get retailers to participate and in some cases to invest in upgrading their checkout scanners to communicate with phones equipped with embedded chips.

Initially, M-Wallet will be limited to banking transactions... as well as purchases from participating retailers such as airlines and movie houses. But Motorola says that in six to nine months, when a special chip for the phones is available, consumers will be able to pay for groceries and other things using the scanners at the cash register."

In the article and on Motorola's website the M-Wallet is described only as an "embedded chip", "encrypted chip", and "special chip". RFID is not specifically mentioned, nor is any other technology. Why not?

Sally Bacchetta - Freelance Writer
Freelance Writer
RFID

RFID: New Hampshire HB 203 - Passed in the House

2006-01-20T07:04:00.000-05:00

The New Hampshire House of Representatives passed HB 203 (see my blog 1/5/06). Next stop for HB 203 is the New Hampshire Senate.

Sally Bacchetta - Freelance Writer
Freelance Writer
RFID

RFID: FDA Anti-Counterfeit Drug Initiative Workshop

2006-01-10T08:22:00.000-05:00

The FDA Anti-Counterfeit Drug Initiative Public Workshop and Vendor Display is scheduled for February 8-9, 2006, in Bethesda, Maryland.

According to the DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Docket No. 2005N–0510 (Anti-Counterfeit Drug Initiative Workshop and Vendor Display), the three objectives of the meeting are:

To identify incentives for widespread adoption of radio-frequency identification (RFID), as well as obstacles to the adoption of RFID across the U.S. drug supply chain and possible solutions to those obstacles.

To solicit comment on the implementation of the pedigree requirements of the
Prescription Drug Marketing Act (PDMA) and the use of an electronic pedigree
e-pedigree).

To learn the state of technology development related to electronic track and trace and e-pedigree technology solutions.

Interested individuals, organizations, and vendors may register on-line to attend the workshop, display their products or deliver a presentation to the FDA's Counterfeit Drug Task Force.

Understand that whether or not to proceed with electronic pedigree (e.g., RFID) is not open for discussion. The FDA is moving forward with electronic track-and-trace, regardless of how you or I or anyone else feels about it.

Sally Bacchetta - Freelance Writer
Freelance Writer
RFID

RFID: New Hampshire HB 203

2006-01-05T20:41:00.000-05:00

The New Hampshire House Commerce Committee has unanimously recommended passage of a consumer privacy protection bill, which has already been tagged as the model for future consumer privacy legislation.

It's encouraging to see the citizens of New Hampshire take an active role in crafting their own future. This bill's existence is a sign of increased consumer awareness of RFID and potential abuse of the technology.

I have listed the provisions of HB 203 in italics below, followed by my comments (non-italicized). If indeed future legislation will be modeled after HB 203, we must make sure that the bill truly protects and doesn't just pacify.

HB 203 includes the following provisions:
1. Stipulates that no consumer product or identification document (such as a credit card or ATM card) to which a tracking device has been affixed, may be sold without a label containing a universally accepted symbol. The requirement also applies to packaging of the product.
There are no stipulations about the location of the label on the product or package. Therefore, a label affixed to the product inside a package, or to an internal portion of the package itself would satisfy the labeling requirement, but be undetectable by the consumer. From the perspective of consumer notification, nothing would be accomplished.

2. Requires that identifying labels be affixed to the product or document or its packaging by the entity that implants the tracking device in the product or by the entity that imports products that contain tracking devices.
The earlier in the supply chain that a label is affixed, the easier it is to obscure the label from consumer view.

3. Prohibits anyone from implanting tracking devices into human beings without the informed consent of either the individual or a legal guardian.
Is this really the issue? I'm sure that some people are afraid of stealth implantation, but the larger issue is the potential curtailment-- of access, commerce, resources, transportation, and other freedoms-- for people who are unwilling to accept an implant. "The Such & Such Company is pleased to inform you that we are converting to RFID-based commerce for all of our consumer services. We regret that we will no longer be able to serve those of you techno-dinosaurs who elect not to receive an RFID implant, but we wish you good luck in finding a non-RFID-based gas & electric provider/ bank/ pharmacy/ grocery store/ hospital..." That's the real fear.

4. Prohibits the state or any of its political subdivisions from issuing any radio frequency devices to track individuals, with exceptions such as incarcerated prisoners or residents of nursing or assisted-living facilities.
'Exceptions such as'... what exactly does that mean? Is the tracking limited to incarcerated prisoners and residents of nursing or assisted-living facilities or not? If not, what are the other exceptions?

5. Establishes a commission on the use of tracking devices to study their usage in government and business and monitor their effect on the economy and society. That's broad and vague enough to ensure that not much of anything gets done. Study their usage and do what? Monitor their effect and do what? Who will conduct these studies and how will they be conducted? Who is going to oversee the commission? What are the limits of its authority? Etc.

Unflinching analysis of proposed legislation is necessary to ensure adequate and appropriate protection for all citizens.

Sally Bacchetta - Freelance Writer
Freelance Writer
RFID

RFID: VICS AND AAFA - Worst Foot Forward?

2006-01-04T07:04:00.000-05:00

The Voluntary Interindustry Commerce Standards Committee (VICS) and the American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA) announced this week the release of a report titled, "Moving Forward with Item-Level Radio Frequency Identification in Apparel/Footwear."

The report is the result of a four-month study of the impact of RFID on manufacturing, distribution/logistics, inventory management, store operations, finance, loss prevention, and merchandising, to help member companies determine the right starting point for RFID evaluation.

Highlights include:
Where RFID item-level tagging provides the greatest value along the value chain
Who stands to benefit most from RFID
Which merchandise categories are best-suited to deriving tangible benefits

The study asserts that for companies to derive benefits from item-level tagging they should look first to the retail store environment. "Item-level RFID has the potential to bring new levels of inventory visibility and profit improvement, which could not be achieved through conventional means, across the apparel industry."

Once again, the benefits of RFID to the retail industry are overt and seductive, but there is no mention of benefit to the consumer. In fact, there is no mention of the consumer at all, except for a closing nod to EPCglobal's Guidelines for Consumer Privacy. "We encourage retailers and suppliers who embark on item-level RFID to responsibly address consumer privacy concerns by adhering to EPCglobal's
Guidelines for Consumer Privacy."

The RFID industry spends a lot of time and money defending the business case for RFID. Perhaps consumers would be less defensive if the industry did a better job communicating consumer benefits of the technology.

Well? We're waiting...

Sally Bacchetta - Freelance Writer
Freelance Writer
RFID

RFID: Why RFID Isn't the Next Big Thing

2005-12-16T08:53:00.000-05:00

Why RFID isn’t the next big thing
By Tom Yager, San Francisco | Monday, 28 November, 2005

We’ll soon live in a world where sensors outnumber people. If you believe what you read, RFID is a magical technology that will forever banish wires, grocery store scanners, credit cards and pocket change from our working and personal lives. There will be no more theft, no more injuries from improper medication, no more lost remote controls and no more stray dogs.

While Sun Microsystems and others get us all worked up about sensors, equating them with RFID, those who actually work on and do research into embedded technology are having a laugh at consumers’ expense. Sensors, indeed. Passive RFID, the most common type because it’s the least expensive, costs about US7¢ (NZ10¢) per tag. But that doesn’t include back-end costs and expensive readers. People who design systems for factory floor automation, logistics tracking, warehouses, external and implantable medical devices and other blue collar and white-coat locales understand that RFID has limited, albeit important, applications.

I have a lot of reasons for being no fan of RFID but RFID has one serious, show-stopping shortcoming that trumps the others: it’s stupid. A passive RFID tag is incapable of learning, logging, or sensing the world around it, or doing anything on its own. If the tag is separated from the reader, or the reader is separated from the back end, the system is going to miss something. Active RFID, which can incorporate sensor-like capabilities, requires a battery or other source of power. When you cross that line, you’re not in RFID-land anymore. You’re just sending and receiving wireless data, the cost rises and smarter solutions are within reach.

To illustrate, consider the oft-cited use of RFID for hospital patients, to ensure that they get the proper medication and that they don’t get a kidney removed when they’re wheeled into the operating theatre for a blown-out knee. Knowing whom you’re dealing with is dandy but there’s a lot more a doctor would like to know about a patient, such as heart rate, respiration, temperature, blood oxygen, mobility and how much noise visitors are making. All of this data can be gathered and recorded by one micro-controller or custom-programmable logic device. I’ve found specific technical notes from semiconductor vendors for each of these applications. I also like the idea of encrypted and authenticated delivery.

In modern commercial packaging, the core of this type of smart monitor, and the lithium battery that drives it (for as long as five years), should be weightless and I’d estimate the per-patient cost to be about US$4 (NZ$5.80) using off-the-shelf parts.

A basic programmable ID bracelet could morph into an adhesive patch that’s placed on the chest to monitor heart rate, respiration and chest sounds. A programmable sensor integrated into a chest tube could alert medical staff when it’s leaking. However, nobody dreams of taking RFID that far.

If a technology doesn’t inspire big dreams, why invest in it? Dumping dough in RFID only takes money away from the R&D to create more capable, intelligent solutions.

Yager is chief technologist at the InfoWorld Test Centre.
Email him at tom_yager@infoworld.com
Published at http://computerworld.co.nz

Sally Bacchetta - Freelance Writer
Freelance Writer
RFID

RFID: FDA Update

2005-12-06T11:52:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago FDA Associate Commissioner Randall Lutter, Ph.D spoke at the first NACDS/HDMA* Summit on the adoption of RFID technology in healthcare.

His comments included an update on the FDA initiative to implement electronic pedigrees for tracking the manufacture and sale of prescription drugs, which until now has been a voluntary initiative.

Lutter stated, "Supply chain stakeholders assured us that there would be considerable movement toward implementation of RFID and that widespread adoption could be done in 2007... Yet from our vantage point today, it appears a voluntary approach may not be enough... We are concerned that widespread adoption may not be realized by December 2006, when the PDMA stay expires."

He announced that the FDA Counterfeit Drug Task Force will hold a Public Workshop in January or February 2006 to discuss barriers to implementation and to assert the FDA's commitment to adoption of electronic pedigree technology.

Lutter said "In the coming weeks, we will put out an invitation for people to testify on these and other issues and we expect to publish more information about this meeting in the near future both in the Federal Register and posted on FDA’s website."

Stay tuned.

*NACDS - National Association of Chain Drug Stores
HDMA - Health Department Management Association

Sally Bacchetta - Freelance Writer
Freelance Writer
RFID

RFID: Spychips - Tracking the Debate

2005-11-21T10:34:00.000-05:00

It's not surprising that RFID Journal editor Mark Roberti vehemently denounced the new book, Spychips: How Major Corporations and Government Plan to Track Your Every Move With RFID. He is an active proponent of commercial applications of RFID. His organization was formed to advance that agenda, and he has a professional responsibility to monitor and comment on public opposition.

Neither is it surprising that Katherine Albrecht, co-author of the book and the founder of consumer advocacy group C.A.S.P.I.A.N, vehemently denounced Roberti's assessment. Albrecht advocates full disclosure of any RFID application that may compromise consumer privacy or choice.

In his column Spychips Book Fails to Make Its Case Roberti writes:
"Theoretically, lots of things are possible, but in the real world, companies don't share information about their customers with other companies."

In fact, they do. In fact, RFID facilitates that exchange. In fact, according to Modern Materials Handling Wal-Mart and Target (retail competitors?) are partnering to share Electronic Product Code (EPC) data with some of their suppliers.

I don't know if the Target/Wal-Mart cooperation poses a threat to individual privacy. That remains to be seen.

What I do know is that Roberti's opinion does not threaten the public welfare. Albrecht's opinion does not threaten corporate welfare. What does threaten everyone's interest is the misrepresentation of opinion as fact.

If you allow yourself to be seduced by the power of distortion, you have lost the fight. No matter which side you're on.

As I wrote in my 8/2/05 blog RFID: Spychips, "Those of us who seek transparency can not afford to subordinate language to advance our agenda. That was Orwell's nightmare.

http://www.mmh.com/article/CA6283694.html

Sally Bacchetta - Freelance Writer
Freelance Writer
RFID

RFID: CASPIAN Protest in New Hampshire

2005-11-10T08:13:00.000-05:00

excerpts from a CASPIAN press release:

CASPIAN members have taken their concerns about RFID technology to the New Hampshire state legislature where a bill requiring labeling of RFID-tagged items is progressing through committee. Passage of this legislation would be a victory for privacy advocates, but it could spell trouble for Wal-Mart and other retailers who worry that consumers will boycott stores that carry items tagged with RFID. The industry's own studies show the vast majority of consumers object to RFID technology on privacy grounds.

Wal-Mart is expected to be especially hard hit by consumer-driven anti-RFID efforts since it has invested millions of dollars in the technology and taken a very public stance in favor of it. "This controversy comes at a time when Wal-Mart can least afford it," said Katherine Albrecht, Founder and Director of CASPIAN. "They are coming under fire from all sides, for many aspects of their operations. This
will hurt their attempts to position themselves as a more upscale shopping experience and put their publicized bad behavior behind them."

CASPIAN Consumer Privacy
www.spychips.com // www.nocards.org

Sally Bacchetta - Freelance Writer
Freelance Writer
RFID

RFID: CASPIAN Wal-Mart Protest

2005-10-21T08:41:00.000-04:00

From a CASPIAN press release:

More than 70 Texans converged on a Dallas Wal-Mart Supercenter this past Saturday to protest the store's RFID tagging of consumer products. Armed with anti-RFID signs and singing "We don't like the looks of spychips sittin' in this Wal-Mart store," the group worked the sidewalk adjacent to the store's parking lot, handing out literature to passersby and waving to drivers who honked in support of their stand.

The protest, organized by the consumer privacy group CASPIAN, was sparked by Wal-Mart's use of RFID tags on Hewlett-Packard printer/scanners being sold in its stores. Placing RFID tags on individual consumer items, a practice known as "item-level tagging," has been widely condemned by privacy experts since 2003. Wal-Mart's use of RFID on these items disregards the recommendation of over 40 of the world's leading privacy and civil liberties organizations who have called on retailers to voluntarily abstain from the practice.

"Wal-Mart's item-level RFID tagging initiative is dangerous and irresponsible. And it's especially worrisome when you consider who Wal-Mart's business partners are," said Katherine Albrecht, founder of CASPIAN and co-author of the bestselling book "Spychips: How Major Corporations and Government Plan to Track Your Every Move with RFID."

She points to patent documents and promotional communications that she and co-author Liz McIntyre uncovered when doing research for their book.

"We discovered that Wal-mart's partners -- companies like NCR, IBM, Sensormatic, and Procter & Gamble -- have developed extensive plans to monitor and track people and exploit them commercially through RFID tags in the things they buy," Albrecht said.

"These companies are working with Wal-Mart to place RFID tags into all consumer products. This will make objects -- and the people wearing and carrying them -- remotely trackable. We have rock-solid evidence that they are already devising ways to exploit that potential," she added.

Albrecht cites NCR -- with millions of dollars of point-of-sale scanning equipment installed in Wal-Mart stores nationwide -- as just one example. According to its own promotional literature, NCR has plans for retail store shelves that will change prices depending upon who approaches, pan and tilt cameras that will follow individual shoppers for the duration of their shopping trips, and RFID readers embedded in the store environment to individually identify and track shoppers everywhere they go, from the parking lot to the snack bar.

"This is not mere conjecture. These companies have laid out plans for a nightmarish world of total surveillance, and they've described these plans in their own words. If item-level RFID is not stopped now, Wal-Mart stores could soon become retail zoos, with customers as the closely watched exhibits," warns Albrecht. "And other public spaces will soon follow."

Wal-Mart has repeatedly denied that item-level RFID tagging poses a privacy risk, though the company was clearly concerned that discussion of its RFID plans could hurt sales. A spokesperson issued a statement last week intended to pacify consumers. "Safety is always a top priority for us and customers should not have any concerns about shopping this weekend at our stores," she said.

Albrecht remained unconvinced, however. "If customers' safety and privacy were top priorities, Wal-Mart would confront its partners on their invasive plans and put an end to item-level tagging. But instead of thinking 'maybe we are deploying a technology that has real risks attached,' they seem to be asking themselves 'How can we get this past people?' "

CASPIAN Consumer Privacy
www.spychips.com // www.nocards.org

Sally Bacchetta - Freelance Writer
Freelance Writer
RFID

RFID: CASPIAN Wal-Mart Protest Planned

2005-10-10T16:35:00.000-04:00

From a CASPIAN press release:

CASPIAN to "Raise Awareness" at Dallas-area Store October 15

Dallas/Ft. Worth members of CASPIAN (Consumers Against Supermarket Privacy Invasion and Numbering) will converge on a local Wal-Mart next Saturday to raise awareness about corporate plans to track consumers with Radio Frequency Identification (RFID). RFID is a technology that uses tiny computer chips -- some smaller than a grain of sand -- to wirelessly track items from a distance.

Sally Bacchetta - Freelance Writer
Freelance Writer
RFID

RFID: California Identity Information Protection Act Still Alive

2005-09-30T09:46:00.000-04:00

Thanks to CA Senator Joe Simitian, SB 682 is on the CA assembly agenda for early in 2006. Simitian partnered with Assemblywoman Judy Chu to reassign the stalled California Identity Information Protection Act as SB 768 (previously Simitian's aquacultural bill).

Excerpt from SB 768: "This bill would enact the Identity Information Protection Act of 2005. The act would require identification documents, except as specified, that are created, mandated, purchased, or issued by various public entities that use radio waves to broadcast personal information, or to enable personal information to be read remotely, to meet specified requirements."

Kudos to Simitian for his dedication to informed consent, and to Chu for her willingness to act on behalf of the public interest.

Sally Bacchetta - Freelance Writer
Freelance Writer
RFID

RFID: Spychips

2005-08-02T15:55:00.000-04:00

It's not easy for me to say this, but I'm apprehensive about Katherine Albrecht's book Spychips: How Major Corporations and Government Plan to Track Your Every Move with RFID.

It's the book's description on publisher Nelson Current's website that gives me pause: "An explosive exposé on how... this seemingly innocuous commercial maneuver will inevitably turn our society into a Big Brother nightmare.", and "..., Spychips explains RFID technology and reveals the history and future of the master planners’ strategies to imbed these trackers on everything—from postage stamps to shoes to people themselves—and spy on Americans without our knowledge or consent."

"inevitably turn our society into a Big Brother nightmare... master planners’ ..."

I hope that Spychips is a testament to Albrecht's talent and experience, and not the hyperbolic caricature this description suggests. I hope that the book illuminates the actual, substantive complexities of a radio frequency culture.

I don't want Albrecht to be another advocate-gone-zealot, pimping overblown Orwell references that ultimately (and probably unintentionally) undermine thoughtful examination of RFID.

Those of us who seek transparency can not afford to subordinate language to advance our agenda.

That was Orwell's nightmare.

Sally Bacchetta - Freelance Writer

RFID in Rochester

2005-07-26T16:47:00.000-04:00

What is the current state of RFID deployment in Rochester?

In general, local companies describe a high degree of interest, but only a modest level of integration.

Why the discrepancy between what local companies want to do with RFID and what they are actually doing? I spoke with some of Rochester’s early adopters to put a local face on track-and-trace.

Leading folding carton manufacturer Diamond Packaging (Henrietta, NY) is currently evaluating available technologies for in-line applications of RFID tags. “Without question, RFID is one of the hottest topics in packaging”, says Dennis Bacchetta, Marketing Manager at Diamond. “Companies are moving from ‘Does it make sense?’ to ‘How can we implement RFID?’ ”

Indeed, RFID seems to make sense to many of the markets Diamond serves. Interest in item-level RFID tagging has been driven primarily by the pharmaceutical, personal care and cosmetic industries, which are particularly vulnerable to theft and counterfeiting. RFID tags are virtually incorruptible and almost impossible to counterfeit. Other obvious benefits include impeccable accountability from the point of manufacture to the point of sale, and precise, real-time inventory control.

If a company decides that RFID makes sense for them, what are some of the implementation issues they may deal with? According to Bacchetta, “The primary challenge is ensuring compatibility with various vendors in the supply chain.”

RFID technology is so diverse in form and function that what might later be a strength is actually a limitation right now. Rick Howe, VP of Sales and Marketing at Hover-Davis, agrees. “RFID is evolving differently than a lot of people expected. There are dozens of different technologies. There are dozens of different markets, each with different needs.”

Howe is certainly in a position to make that assessment. Hover-Davis is a Rochester-based company that produces world class feeding systems for silicon wafers, including those used in RFID tags.

Although RFID applications currently represent less than 1% of Hover-Davis’s market, Howe sees significant growth potential once RFID integration is purified. “RFID is evolving in a step function like a lot of disruptive technologies do. There needs to be a lot more maturation of technologies before item-level tagging can happen.”

In order to advance business interests in balance with consumer concerns, EPCglobal developed and published their Guidelines on EPC for Consumer Products, designed “to allow EPC to realize its potential for consumers, retailers and suppliers, by addressing privacy concerns prompted by the current state of the technology while establishing principles for dealing with its evolution and implementation.”

Rochester’s own Wegmans Food Markets is well-known for demonstrating strong principles of community involvement. In addition to exploring internal applications for RFID, Wegmans continues to support the larger community by taking an active role in developing RFID standards.

Marianne Timmons is the director of Business to Business at Wegmans. “Wegmans is a member of EPCglobal and is exploring opportunities for a future implementation. Today Wegmans is focused on building a solid foundation for the future of EPC through their Data Synchronization efforts.”

Interroperability may be the primary challenge of wide-scale RFID deployment, but it certainly isn’t the only one. Bacchetta identified two others: “A secondary concern is cost implications and the ability to ensure ROI. Finally, considerable work needs to be done to assess and compare the various tag technologies currently available.”

Howe agrees that cost and technology diversity have caused people to redefine their understanding of RFID, and shift the benefit expectation from an item-level intervention to a middle-market tool, at least for now. “Many people thought that item-level tagging was going to become the utopia of the RFID industry. It’s actually going much more in the direction of middle-market segments—pets, airline and ship cargo—seeping into middle-volume markets. RFID is not going to go from infancy to soup cans overnight.”

Birds Eye Foods, the nation’s leader in frozen vegetables, is a Rochester-based company actively using RFID in their supply chain management. As local market experience continues to grow, we can expect to find more companies following suit.

Rochester is far from the brink of an RFID revolution, but everyone I spoke with for this article are optimistic about the future of RFID. “These are all challenges that are typical of any emerging technology”, Bacchetta remarked. “None are insurmountable, and I expect that all will be resolved within the next few years.”

Sally Bacchetta - Freelance Writer

RFID: Traceless Truth

2005-06-09T05:06:00.000-04:00

Life usually seems to me to be a series of Rorschach tests. We each interpret events and patterns through the filter of our personal history, and no two people experience the same stimulus in the exact same way.

RFID means "cutting-edge technology" to one and "the end of personal freedom" to another. "Big Brother" to one and "transportation efficiency" to another. "Professional development opportunity" to an RFID software engineer and "layoff" to a no-longer-necessary inventory clerk.

But now and then the ink blot is so obvious that it transcends individual interpretation. Or in the case of Canadian technology firm Creo, it is the absence of the ink blot that is so clear.

Creo has developed Traceless technology, an RFID tagging system which is described on their website as "visually and chemically undetectable, even by forensic trace methods".

On the same website, Creo details potential applications for Traceless as "Traceless taggant can be applied to the surface of articles during manufacturing. Or, more commonly, it can be mixed in paper or ink during the production of packaging, envelopes, and labels."

What?!

Do you want visually and chemically undetectable track-and-trace technology mixed into paper or ink during production? Paper and ink... that's magazines, personal letterhead, business cards, maps, loan applications, medical information forms, social security cards, coupons, prescriptions... U.S. currency. (Ironically, even Rorschach tests.)

Before you write and tell me that I'm overreacting, integrate the fact that Creo has already signed an agreement with label manufacturer Acucote to incorporate Traceless technology into Acucote labels. This is not a boardroom Development Objective, folks. This is a stealth tracking reality.

EPCglobal's Guidelines on EPC for Consumer Products establish the need for Consumer Notice and Consumer Choice. The guidelines are published on the EPCglobal website, and include:

1. Consumer Notice
Consumers will be given clear notice of the presence of EPC on products or their packaging. This notice will be given through the use of an EPC logo or identifier on the products or packaging.

2. Consumer Choice
Consumers will be informed of the choices that are available to discard or remove or in the future disable EPC tags from the products they acquire."

By design, Creo's Traceless taggant clearly circumvents both consumer notice and consumer choice.

I appreciate our general need for increased security and anti-counterfeiting measures. I am as concerned about the purity of my prescription and the safety of this country as any other reasonable person is. I have consistently supported the strengths of RFID technology in appropriate applications, and I will continue to do so.

But I can not interpret this particular picture with anything but alarm.

Plain, "old-fashioned" RFID tags-- visible and detectable-- offer a more sophisticated level of security than we have ever had before. They are unobtrusive, customizable, incorruptible and virtually impossible to counterfeit.

Creo's Traceless powder is not only unnerving and completely unnecessary, it is decidely counterproductive.

The nature of RFID technology inevitably raises public and personal sensitivity. In order for the collective "us" to gain from RFID, we must be partners in pursuit of transparent truth.

No matter how you look at it, transparent tags and transparent truth are mutually exclusive.

Sally Bacchetta - Freelance Writer

RFID: AT90RF135602- Smallest RFID Reader

2005-06-07T17:51:00.000-04:00

The AT90RF135602 definitely needs a nickname. Even in 8-point type it's too big a title for the world's smallest RFID reader!

AT90RF135602 (see what I mean?) is the latest RFID collaboration of California-based Atmel and UK-based Innovision Research & Technology. This single chip RFID reader is a mere 12mm by 12mm by 2mm. (For those of you who like to travel ultra-light, check out the scaled down 6mm by 8mm by 1.5mm version).

The AT90RF135602 reads and writes to 13.56 MHz RFID tags and smart labels, is optimised for a 2.8V battery operation, and is compliant to ISO/IEC 14443-A parts 2 & 3, making it especially suited for small, battery-powered handheld devices.

I can see how this smaller-than-dime-sized RFID reader may be helpful for NAVI (Navigation Assistance for the Visually Impaired) and other handheld applications. Smaller readers make handheld devices less obtrusive and more comfortable to carry. Good news for those using NAVI or taking self-guided museum or walking tours.

I can see how the AT90RF135602, priced at a relatively low $3 per unit (in quantities of 10,000) may be attractive to RFID managers trying to achieve maximum efficiency at minimum expense. It's inexpensive to operate, field programmable and upgradeable, so it's an investment that will grow with your operation.

I also see that as RFID readers become smaller they become more difficult to see. Easier to forget.

RFID tags continue to shrink, and in some cases have disappeared altogether, replaced by smart labels and smart inks. Too many consumers aren't even aware of RFID tags yet, and it's becoming more and more difficult to see them.

Technology naturally trends toward more power in a smaller footprint. That's one of the ways we measure progress.

As we trend toward ever-more progress, let us also trend toward ever-more citizen awareness. Let's make sure that we can look back on the AT90RF135602 as a really cool RFID reader that advanced our culture and improved the quality of our lives. And had a great nickname.

Sally Bacchetta - Freelance Writer

RFID: Electronic Pharmaceutical Pedigree

2005-06-02T05:45:00.000-04:00

A growing number of U.S. states are formalizing electronic pedigree requirements in order to comply with the FDA's anti-counterfeiting initiatives.

A new two-phase RFID authentication platform introduced by Texas Instruments (TI) and VeriSign should make it easier for pharmaceutical manufacturers, suppliers, distributors and pharmacies to meet the FDA drug pedigree requirements. It may also make it easier for consumers to accept RFID technology in their prescription packaging.

Mikael Ahlund, director of RFID healthcare for TI, says that the platform is unique in providing two layers of protection against counterfeiting. The model enhances system security by digitally certifying the authenticity of 13.56 MHz RFID tags via a cryptographic Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) available through VeriSign. "The beauty of this approach is that because the elements for the private key are preprogrammed into the tag and the reader is preprogrammed for the public key, the authentication is actually done off-network," says Ahlund.

"We're using multiple layers of protection," says Graham Gillen, senior product manager for VeriSign. "Ultimately, it's about making the tag, and hence the product, hard to fake or reproduce."

The platform is non-proprietary and can be implemented by any RFID system and PKI provider. That can save drug manufacturers and suppliers the considerable infrastructure costs associated with deploying most RFID systems. The additional security may relieve some consumers' fears that their personal and private information may be intercepted by electronic hackers.

The idea of using RFID in the prescription drug pipeline has had consumers and pharmaceutical manufacturers/suppliers hotly at odds. The TI/Verisign model suggests that when used with care, RFID may indeed be protective without being invasive.

Sally Bacchetta - Freelance Writer

RFID: Blink!

2005-05-25T17:20:00.000-04:00

JP Morgan Chase & Co. will begin issuing contactless "blink" cards to millions of MasterCard and Visa credit cardholders next month.

A "blink" card looks like a regular credit card, but is embedded with an RFID chip that allows the bearer to wave the card at an RFID-enabled terminal rather than swipe it or hand it to a cashier.

If you already wave cards at toll collection booths and gas station pumps, the "blink" card may be an easy transition for you. I envy you that. I have yet to find anything about RFID that is an easy transition for me.

I'm actually less concerned about the security of "blink" cards than I am about many other RFID applications. The selected interface protocol supports a read range of only a few inches, so any would-be identity pirate would have to be stationed between my hand and the reader in order to steal my information. I'm confident that even if I'm temporarily overwhelmed by the joy of saving ten seconds during checkout, I would notice them there.

Chase's initial plan is to link "blink" cards only to credit card accounts, not debit or bank cards. I don't know if this decision is motivated by consumer interest or Chase's self-interest. Either way, it provides a layer of personal security. If a crafty digital thief does manage to slip in when I'm blinking, they will be plundering my Chase credit card account, not my personal bank account.

The June fleet of "blink" cards is slated for Chase account members in two undisclosed cities. Chase is keeping the undisclosed target cities undisclosed for undisclosed reasons.

I can't help but note that Merriam-Webster defines "blink" as:
1 to look with half-shut eyes
2 to shine dimly or intermittently
3 to look with too little concern

Sally Bacchetta - Freelance Writer

RFID: Organic Electronic Tags

2005-05-20T06:34:00.000-04:00

Cost and performance have been formidable hurdles in the path of widespread item-level RFID tagging. Last month a company called OrganicID unfolded some pretty long legs.

At the April 2005 meeting of the Materials Research Society, OrganicID scientists introduced an organic RFID tag that can perform at frequencies of 13.5MHz, which is the desired frequency for supply chain applications. Other organic tags max out at 125 kHz.

Performance? Check.

The price of silicon RFID tags has not dipped below $.20 per tag in spite of a good deal of wailing and gnashing of teeth. Silicon costs what it costs. And it costs too much to tag individual items. Thank goodness.

However, OrganicID's product is estimated to cost only pennies per tag. Pennies.

Cost? Check.

With seed money from ITU Ventures and a strategic partnership with International Paper, OrganicID is bringing the reality of item-level tagging to a whole new level.

Sally Bacchetta - Freelance Writer

RFID: California's Identity Information Protection Act

2005-05-18T20:35:00.000-04:00

Utah introduced a bill designed to limit the use of RFID by state and county government. It was voted down. Maryland introduced a similar bill. It, too, was voted down. This is California's second RFID bill. The first was... voted down.

So, California's Bill No. 682 may not be an original idea, but it is important and relevant. And the strong bipartisan vote in favor of the bill is also important and relevant.

California Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) introduced the bill in February 2005. Yesterday the California state senate approved the bill in a 29 to 7 vote (21 Democrats and eight Republicans). If passed into law, the California bill will be the first legislation to limit the use of RFID.

An excerpt from bill 682: "This act would prohibit identification documents created, mandated, purchased or issued by various public entities from containing a contactless integrated circuit or other device that can broadcast personal information or enable personal information to be scanned remotely, except as specified."

Nothing wrong with that.

RFID is amazing technology that represents tremendous positive potential. RFID may be the best tool we have to keep our prescription drug pipeline safe, to alert us when an Alzheimer's patient wanders, or to warn us when our car tire is getting low.

It is not the best tool we have for identification.

New technology requires new vigilance. New uses of old technology also requre new vigilance. If we don't make deliberate decisions about the role of RFID in our lives, someone else will. It is that simple.

Sally Bacchetta - Freelance Writer

RFID: Smart Labels USA 2005

2005-05-16T06:42:00.000-04:00

The commercial RFID event of the year, Smart Labels USA 2005, will be held in Baltimore, June 27th-30th.

The agenda includes didactic and interactive workshops covering all aspects of RFID, including manufacture, application, supply chain management, emerging trends, the future of RFID, industry standards, consumer concerns, benefits of RFID technology and maximizing ROI.

A partial list of scheduled speakers features representatives from:
The US Department of Defense
The FDA
McCarran Airport
Purdue Pharma
EPCglobal
UPS
Avery Dennison
Michelin
Nokia
Boeing
Dai Nippon Printing
Samsung
Poly IC
HP

Attendance is expected to exceed that of last year's conference, which included over 400 delegates from 24 countries.

Sally Bacchetta - Freelance Writer

RFID: Polly Want a Microchip

2005-05-12T18:57:00.000-04:00

Digital pirates beware! A UCLA research group is developing an RFID system intended to prevent illegal duplication of digital movies. Rajit Gadh is a UCLA professor and the director of WINMEC (Wireless Internet for the Mobile Enterprise Consortium).

On May 3rd Gadh announced the WINMEC RFID research project as a tool to facilitate digital rights management. The plan is to embed RFID tags in DVDs, and RFID readers in DVD players. Tagged DVDs would only play in RFID-enabled players, and the players would only play tagged DVDs.

Hmm. It's too early to know exactly what WINMEC's project will mean to law-abiding movie enthusiasts, but I do have some questions:

If I decide to fork out the money for a groovy new RFID-enabled DVD player, what am I going to do with all of the non-RFID-enabled movie DVDs I bought to replace all of the non-DVD VHS movie tapes I originally bought?

And if I decide not to buy a groovy new RFID-enabled DVD player, will I still be able to buy non-RFID-tagged DVDs of current movies to play in my non-RFID-enabled DVD player?

And what about my quaint, but decidely un-groovy, non-RFID-enabled small town library? They're going to have to hold a lot of bake sales and car washes to finance two movie collections: one set of groovy new RFID-enabled DVDs and one set of non-RFID-enabled DVDs.

I hope that all of my friends and relatives invest in groovy new RFID-enabled DVD players, otherwise we won't be able to hold movie parties, entertain each other's kids, or borrow each other's movies anymore.

One more thing: WINMEC notes that the groovy new RFID-enabled DVD players would have to link to an online network in order to authenticate the DVDs. The system would first establish the DVD sale as legitimate, and then link the sale with personal identifying information of the specific customer. Every RFID-enabled DVD you purchase will be tracked, linked to you and retained in an electronic history.

The Motion Picture Association of America reports that the U.S. motion picture industry loses more then $3B a year in "potential revenue" because of piracy. In reality, the MPAA doesn't know how much of their "potential revenue" is lost to piracy.

First, because they can't measure "potential"... any projection is one of multiple potentials... that's why it's called "potential".

Second, for the MPAA to know exactly how much of their "potential revenue" is stolen by digital pirates, they would have to have a fairly robust method of tracking pirates and their digital booty. If that were the case, there would be no need for embedded RFID chips in DVDs.

I have tremendous respect for copyright laws. As a freelance writer, I couldn't make a living without them. I get angry at people who steal other people's work by their selfish, unethical, cheap, childish digital piracy. (No matter what you folks tell yourselves, it is stealing.) But, frankly, it's not anyone's business what I watch in the privacy of my own home, as long as I acquire it through legal means.

WINMEC's initiative is like making every middle-aged white male wear an electronic ankle bracelet every day, so that the next time a middle-aged white male commits a crime the police will know the whereabouts of all middle-aged white males. It's a bit of an overreaction, don't you think?

Sally Bacchetta - Freelance Writer

RFID: NAVI (Navigation Aid for the Visually Impaired)

2005-05-04T20:14:00.000-04:00

Thanks to an engineering professor and a group of students at the University of Rochester, Rochester, New York, RFID may play a significant role in increasing independence for people who are visually impaired or blind.

Jack Mottley, Ph.D., Electrical and Computer Engineering, supervised a student research project to develop NAVI (Navigation Aid for the Visually Impaired). The team successfully designed an RFID prototype that makes it easier for blind and visually impaired people to navigate the corridors and tunnels of the U of R buildings and campus.

Most commercial applications of RFID utilize a fixed reader and mobile, item-level tags or transponders. Mottley's team has reversed positions for their system.

NAVI consists of multiple fixed-position RFID transponders (tags) located throughout the testing hallway, and a hand-held RFID reader (transceiver), which emits low-frequency radio signals. When a reader passes near a transponder, the transponder detects the radio signal and sends back a unique, pre-defined electronic code. Each code activates a different site-specific audio recording, used to orient the NAVI user.

For example, as a NAVI user proceeds through a campus building, periodically passing transponders along the way, they will hear recordings that say, "Elevator is located 20 feet straight ahead", or "Proceed straight ahead ten feet, turn right, stairway directly ahead."

The NAVI system gives blind and visually impaired people the freedom to navigate the campus-- including unfamiliar buildings-- unescorted. That's quite an impact on quality of life!

RFID technology holds considerably more promise than current applications represent. Improvements in read distance and cost will be key to accelerating the adoption of NAVI-type systems on other campuses, museums, hospitals, and other public buildings.

NAVI is an impressive example of the power of RFID to benefit our lives. It is free from the privacy concerns related to commercial applications of RFID. It does not raise any issues of government surveillance, HMO interference or consumer monitoring. It is simply a good thing. Hopefully, it is the first of many.

Sally Bacchetta - Freelance Writer

RFID: UHF - Big Brother's Big Brother

2005-04-27T06:28:00.000-04:00

If you haven't yet set a place at your mental table for track and trace technology, that's OK. You're going to need a whole separate table.

The EPC Global Community's latest RFID evolution is the UHF RFID tag. Meet Generation 2.

RFID's new fair-haired boy is bigger and faster than the now-familiar HF RFID technology (which is bigger and faster than the original LF RFID).

Generation 2 UHF tags offer data read rates of up to 640 kbits and 256 bit EPCs (Electronic Product Codes). Compare that to traditional HF tags with max read rates of 149 kbits and 96 bit EPC, and you may understand why some industries (including retail, pharmaceutical, Department of Defense, Homeland Security) are excited about UHF RFID.

And if you do understand, can you explain it to me? I'm not convinced that my grocery store or my pharmacy or my local schools need track and trace technology at all. I'm certainly not convinced that they need turbo track and trace.

Wal-Mart representatives repeatedly and publicly insist that the retail giant is going to use RFID simply to streamline inventory and supply chain operations.

No one needs a 256 bit EPC to do that.

Sally Bacchetta - Freelance Writer

RFID Glossary

2005-04-16T19:17:00.000-04:00

If you're a relative newcomer to RFID you may feel like you joined a social revolution already in progress. You did!

Here is a comprehensive RFID glossary to help you orient yourself.

RFID technology represents tremendous potential, both positive and negative. If we don't direct its development, someone else will.

Be an active citizen of your world. Whatever your perspective on RFID, get involved!

Sally Bacchetta - Freelance Writer

RFID: Passport to Identity Theft?

2005-04-07T06:40:00.000-04:00

The U.S. State Department recently published an Electronic Passports proposal. According to Jim Harper of Privacilla.org, "The State Department intends to start issuing RFID-chipped passports, with unencrypted personal information on the chips, later this year."

Unencrypted personal information. Why? Because even though encrypted data is more secure, it takes longer to read. The U.S. State Department is willing to sacrifice security -- of your personal information -- for facility.

We are past the point of debating whether or not RFID is encroaching into our personal lives. It is. We are past the point of debating whether or not RFID represents significant potential loss of personal privacy. It does. And it is not going away.

Sadly, we seem to be resigned to debating degrees of security.

Are you going to do, or just be done to?

Privacilla's comments on the U.S. State Departments Electronic Passports proposal can be found at: http://www.privacilla.org/releases/RFID_Passport_Comments_2005-04-04.pdf

Privacilla.org is an innovative Web site that captures "privacy" as a public policy issue. Privacilla has been described as a "privacy policy portal" and an "online think-tank."

Sally Bacchetta - Freelance Writer

RFID In Flight

2005-04-03T06:36:00.000-04:00

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is moving forward with plans to incorporate RFID into the monitoring of aircraft traffic and safety.

FAA representatives participated in the 2005 Global Aviation RFID Forum on March 29-30. Read FAA to Issue RFID Policy in 60 Days for more information.

Sally Bacchetta - Freelance Writer

RFID: Prescription for Safety?

2005-03-26T06:02:00.000-05:00

The FDA has released an update on their incorporation of RFID technology into the prescription drug pipeline, titled Radiofrequency Identification Technology: Protecting the Drug Supply.

Sally Bacchetta - Freelance Writer

Informed Consent: Ethical Considerations of RFID

2005-03-19T19:08:00.000-05:00

He who mounts a wild elephant goes where the wild elephant goes. Randolph Bourne

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) has incubated in relative obscurity for over 60 years, quietly changing our lives with scant attention outside the technology community. First used to identify Allied aircraft in World War II, RFID is now well integrated in building security, transportation, fast food, health care and livestock management.

Proponents hail RFID as the next natural step in our technological evolution. Opponents forewarn of unprecedented privacy invasion and social control. Which is it? That’s a bit like asking if Christopher Columbus was an intrepid visionary or a ruthless imperialist. It depends on your perspective. One thing is clear: As RFID extends its roots into common culture we each bear responsibility for tending its growth. more

Informed Consent

2005-03-06T12:26:00.000-05:00

Radio frequency identification (RFID), is a developing technology poised to impact all of our lives. I will explore this topic through a series of posts about the science and ethics of RFID.

Sally Bacchetta - Freelance Writer