Nokia announced an RFID reading mobile phone accessory at CeBIT today. They are not targeting the consumer market with this, at least not yet, but personal RFID devices would be an equalizing influence in the coming RFID deployment feared by privacy advocates.
Personal RFID devices would let you scan objects to see if they had a tag. They could tell you when another RFID reader was active in your area, and best of all, they would enable services under YOUR control to exploit the presence of RFID tags.
For example, you could comparison shop without running from store to store -- zap the book you are browsing in the retail shop, click a button, and it shows up at home three days later for 1/2 the price.
Some coverage on the Nokia announcement:
http://www.vnunet.com/News/1153568
http://www.mobilemag.com/content/100/104/C2607/
http://www.edubourse.com/finance/actualites.php?idActus=13857
Like the idea of having a balancing force in RFID surveillance, which provide open methods for equalizing the potential imbalance. Using this capability, would offer a person additional knowledge in order to disable RFID devices to protect yourself or leverage the imformation to your advantage.
Thanks, Far Mill
Achieve Breakthrough Performance through RFID Technology