12.16.2004
Radio ID Tags Proliferate, Stirring Privacy Debate (CSMmonitor.com)
NZDEMS: Big Brother on the march? You decide.
Soon, everything from children's backpacks to the shoes you buy could be tracked by radio signal.
By Daniel B. Wood | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor
LOS ANGELES – Nearly unknown a decade ago, a device the size of a pencil tip is beginning to infiltrate every corner and pocket of American life.
This recent technology - called RFID for "radio frequency identification" - is making everything from warehouse inventory to lost-luggage tracking to library checkouts easier, faster, and much more informed.
Some examples of RFID uses that have proliferated in just the past several years:
• Electronic key-sized purchase tags in Arizona that are replacing conventional credit cards.
• ID tags for Texas school children that allow local law-enforcement offices to monitor their movements.
• A proposal to examine the possible use of EZ-pass type trackers in California autos to enforce a statewide mileage tax.
• Medicine containers electronically fitted nationwide to alert to fraud, counterfeiting, and even mistakes by hospital staff.
At the same time, the rush to harness the technology is raising a host of regulatory and other concerns, including the invasion of privacy, personal freedom, and civil rights. Those issues in turn are generating concern by lawmakers for how access to data collected by such methods should be limited and protected.
(More ... Radio ID tags proliferate, stirring privacy debate | csmonitor.com) ¶ 09:04
Soon, everything from children's backpacks to the shoes you buy could be tracked by radio signal.
By Daniel B. Wood | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor
LOS ANGELES – Nearly unknown a decade ago, a device the size of a pencil tip is beginning to infiltrate every corner and pocket of American life.
This recent technology - called RFID for "radio frequency identification" - is making everything from warehouse inventory to lost-luggage tracking to library checkouts easier, faster, and much more informed.
Some examples of RFID uses that have proliferated in just the past several years:
• Electronic key-sized purchase tags in Arizona that are replacing conventional credit cards.
• ID tags for Texas school children that allow local law-enforcement offices to monitor their movements.
• A proposal to examine the possible use of EZ-pass type trackers in California autos to enforce a statewide mileage tax.
• Medicine containers electronically fitted nationwide to alert to fraud, counterfeiting, and even mistakes by hospital staff.
At the same time, the rush to harness the technology is raising a host of regulatory and other concerns, including the invasion of privacy, personal freedom, and civil rights. Those issues in turn are generating concern by lawmakers for how access to data collected by such methods should be limited and protected.
(More ... Radio ID tags proliferate, stirring privacy debate | csmonitor.com) ¶ 09:04
