View and vote on the article here: RFID - Radio Frequency Identification
RFID - Radio Frequency Identification| Category | | | Summary | | Recently, there has been much talk of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology. This article will look at what exactly RFID is and what the implications of RFID are for you. |
| | Body | So what is RFID technology? It is basically a way to send and receive data using RFID tags. An RFID tag contains a small chip capable of sending a unique identification number in response to a radio frequency query from a RFID transceiver. A typical example of how RFID can be used is in a library: each book is embedded with a RFID tag, which uniquely identifies each book. A book being borrowed is scanned by a RFID transceiver, which retrieves the unique ID of the book and submits it to the host computer, which in turn marks the book as being checked out. As the book is taken out of the library, it is scanned again, but the alarm will not go off because the RFID tag?s number is designated as checked out. However, when a book that is not designated as checked out goes through the door scanner, the alarm would go off. (For more information on RFID technology see Wikipedia and this FAQ from the RFID journal.
There are three main privacy concerns with RFID. These are:
1) The tag may not be noticeable or removable by the purchaser of a product;
2) The tag may be read from a distance without a person's knowledge;
3) It may be possible to link the ID number of a product to the identity of a person through other means such as the credit card used for the transaction.
The main problem with RFID is that the tag continues to be functional after the product leaves the store. If an ID number is linked to your name, then that RFID can be used for surveillance purpose's that means an RFID tag can be used to track your movements. One example of how RFID can be used to track human movements is in Texas, where it is used to track students in public schools (see here for full story)
There are two types of RFID tags, passive and active tags. Passive tags lay dormant awaiting a signal, which supplies enough power for it to respond usually with only its unique id and secondly active tags which have their own power source and are capable of sending more data than just the single unique ID. The problem with passive RFID tags is that they can lay dormant for years, and still work when they receive a signal meaning that they are in essence never going to be switched off. Active tags on the other hand rely on an onboard power source, so they have limited life spans, but they may have the ability to store information sent from the RFID transceiver and may have longer ranges than the more common passive tag.
RFID has many benefits for the business community, but the privacy concerns are extensive. There are plans to use RFID technology, for example, in passports, hospitals, driver's licenses, and to track truancy in schools. The problems become more and more evident as the applications of the technology become more and more invasive.
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This article was imported from zZine. (original author: xayto)
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