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Friday, July 10, 2009

Issues with RFID tagging






While RFID tagging show much promise and advantages for the future, many people have expressed that it is not worth the risk of long-term health problems, security or our right to private information. While our groceries get tagged and tracked every step of the way, from the farm until they are sold at the store, it seems unjust to do the same thing for humans.


The main debate regarding RFID tagging involves privacy. However, this debate has many layers to it, depending on the cultural and environment of an individual. Many who are unfamiliar with the computing world are hesitant towards a technology so inner related with cyberspace. However, it is important to remember that all the data from a RFID had to be inputted on the tag manually. Therefore, many of the privacy issues arise from the retrieving end, questioning who is reading the information and analyzing personal data. Currently, the Data Protection Directive and the Privacy and Electronic Communications Directive address the issues of data protection, privacy and security.


Still many believe that guidelines and self-regulatory codes of conduct are needed to implement current privacy rules and to clarify certain details. Another issue many worry about is the lack of enforcement options. Realistically, anyone with a reader and within range of the tag could access the information on the tag. As far as tags in the body go, the range is very small and someone unrightfully retrieving someone else’s information would be highly unlikely.



One of the main ways to eliminate much of the fear regarding privacy and RFID tagging, is to educate the consumers on how it is they work. Many times fear comes form ignorance and simply informing people on the positive and negative aspects of the device could wipe away most of the fear. However, many believe that all the fear could be erased if privacy-enhancing technologies could be built directly in the device.
Below is a link to a debate/informative video on VeriChip, a RFID tag for medical usage.

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