Radio Frequency Identification

(RFID is not an Invasion to User's Privacy)



Abstract

The research paper is based on an explanation of a widely used technology Radio Frequency Identification. RFID is providing new advantages to human life by enabling easier, speedy and efficient systems. The technological advances offered by RFID also raised several privacy concerns amongst different organization and activists of individual's privacy liabilities. These concerns took the form of a misperception that RFID technology is an invasion to its user's privacy. Thus, the paper intends to describe the RFID Technology, it background and how it works, its benefits, privacy concerns raised by people against RFID, proves to support RFID technology is not an invasion to privacy and the guideline to address the challenges of privacy.

Abstract2

Introduction5

Background5

Security and Privacy Concerns about RFID6

Corporate Data Threats7

Marketing Threats7

Infrastructure Threats7

Cloning Threats7

Privacy Threats8

Action Threats8

Association Threats8

Location Threats8

Preference or Value Threats9

Constellation Threats9

Transactional Threats9

Breadcrumb Threats9

RFID is Not Invasion of Privacy10

Benefits of RFID to America and the World11

ESSO Imperial Oil and Shell Oil12

Ford Motor Co.13

Gillette13

Marks and Spencer13

Wal Mart13

NIKE14

Conclusion15

References16

Radio Frequency Identification

(RFID is not an Invasion to User's Privacy)

Introduction

The technology known today as the Radio frequency identification offers several benefits to the organizations, businesses, consumers and the economy as a whole. Although RFID promises many advantages as an information storage technology, there are also privacy concerns raised against it. To understand that RFID is not the threat to privacy, it is essential to know how this technology works and helps the marketers, producers, retailers and consumers. RFID uses the portion of electromagnetic spectrum, the radio frequency to identify the unique objects. These radio frequencies help to organize the delivery and production of goods. It also allows the identification of products and goods in efficient ways (Harper, 2004).

Background

At first, the radio frequency tags and codes were used for identification of the aircrafts during World War II, then similar barcodes and tags began to use in electronic systems of toll-collections, late 1980s. The corporations started to consider the tags for tracking the objects individually, in 1999. The Gillette, Gamble and Procter formed a consortium with the Institute of technology to develop the tags of RFID technology for consumer products, replaced with the UPC barcodes.

This group formed the working version of RFID tags in 2003, which resulted in investments of more than 100 government and private businesses. The RFID developing organization is also called Center of Auto-ID that ensured the investors about the revolutionize inventory management by using the tiny chips (Albrecht, 2008). Auto-ID Center also developed Electronic Product Code, refers to the accounts of RFID.

Security and Privacy Concerns about RFID

The organisations of privacy liberties including 35 organizations released a position paper against the threats of RFID Technology, which also included the problems addressed by American Civil liberty Union, Centre for Democracy and Technology, Electronic Frontier Foundation, and the centre of Electronic Privacy Information (Hildner, 2006).

The RFID Tags are traceable and carried by individuals has been found as a major concern among the groups and activists talk about the invasion of people's ...