Posted by deirdrehbrt on March 13, 2006, at 11:40:12
The state I live in, NH is passing a law now, prohibiting the use of RFID in state issued ID cards, contrary to a federal law mandating such use by May 2008. It's interesting to see the controversy surrounding this particular issue.
Where is RFID in use so far? It's used by major retailers in conjunction with product labeling, and is used as a way of tracking inventory. It's used in veterenary applications, to identify and locate lost pets. It's used on the highways as high-speed toll booths. It's used by many people to pay for gas, linking an RFID device to a credit card number. It's becoming more and more ubiquitous.
So how does it work? Basically, there is an integrated circuit attached to an antenna. The integrated circuit contains a receiver, a transmitter, some logic, and a certain amount of memory. When the RFID is within the field of the reader, it absorbs enough electrical energy from the reader to be able to function. Some negotiation goes on (Perhaps authentication, etc), and the RFID device sends to the reader the contents of it's memory. There are read-write, and read-only versions of these devices.
Some of these devices have farily large amounts of memory, and can store things such as digital photographs, etc. But most of them have just a few hundreds to thousands of Bits of memory.
Usually, they store a unique ID number that is linked to an external database. The database then stores the required information, and the RFID is merely a key to the records.
Part of what makes the use of RFID is the fact that the devices can be read without the owners knowledge or permission. Some of these may be read at distances of about 10 feet. Having one on your person, it could be read as you pass through the door of a building, or as you enter a parking lot, or driving down a road. They have the potential of being used to track movement.
With the proposed national use of RFID in government licenses, Pass Ports, etc, it will become possible to link virtually any information about an individual instantly to a single form of identification, including criminal records, health-care records, tax information, etc. Some privacy advocates are saying this goes too far.
The technology does have limitations though. The devices do not work through metal enclosures, so conceivabley, a wallet lined with aluminum foil would prevent these devices from being read from a distance. Some of these devices are less secure than others, and it is possible for someone with a reader to capture data from such a device without one's knowledge.
Kits to try the technology are available from manufacturers for about $500.oo which will allow one to program and read devices. Depending on the type of device used, and the skill at hand, it may be possible for hackers to read the device, or to alter information in the device.
Other uses of the technology that have been suggested include having a reader on-board trash collection trucks to determine usage of products at their end-of-life, tracking motorists to determine average speed between designated check-points (toll booths, etc.) Some have gone so far as advocating implantation of human beings with the goal of helping to locate missing children, etc. (The same technology could conceivably be used to track criminals, such as sex-offenders, etc.)
Whatever one thinks of RFID, I think it's good to know just what the technology is, how it is used, and how it can be abused. So that's what this post was about.
It's interesting to see various state's stances on RFID.
Dee
poster:deirdrehbrt
thread:619798
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/poli/20060304/msgs/619798.html