C|Net reports on a plan from RSA security to create RFID jammers for preserving privacy. Instead of killing tags, which is a permanent operation in the AutoID center's specification, the jammer would distrupt the proper functioning of tags and readers within its range, while leaving the RFID technology intact, so that it can once again function if the jammer is removed or deactivated.
The Tesco and Gillette smart shelf test has ended, reports C|Net. The trial ended on schedule, not due to recent protest, reports Tesco. And while this trial involved taking pictures of customers as part of catching shoplifters, Gillette spokesman Paul Fox says "Gillette thinks smart shelf technology should not be used in conjunction with such monitoring."
'The MTC [Metropolitan Transportation Commission] data collection system relies on FasTrak™ toll tags ... [this is one of] two data sources ... used to calculate average speeds and travel times on Bay Area freeways.'
An example of how an RFID based toll-road system is now being used for something completely different - gathering data about traffic jams. The system seemed to have ignored privacy at first. Initially they mailed mylar bags to people who were worried about privacy. Now they have introduced technical measures and a privacy policy. This is an interesting early example of RFID being used for an application that may not have been intended initially, and was not as big a news story as I might have expected. I would be interested to know what people think of the privacy protections being proposed here.
PS Another privacy question with toll road systems is data protection. This is an old story about toll road data and a divorce case.
SVCWireless September seminar will put RFID technology in perspective by
following a "how-things-work" story line from the beginning of high-volume
deployment for a specific application to the all-out adaptation of RFID tags
for wider applications. The seminar provides insights into an emerging
technology that is driven by its users and brings together engineering minds
from fields of nano-technology, wireless networking, database development,
process control and, last but not least, the entire channel from manufacturing,
transportation and retail.
Radio Frequency Identification Technology (RFID) - Emerging
Challenges and Opportunities
Date: Saturday, September 6, 2003
Time: 12:30 PM - 4:00 PM
Venue: Salon 4, Marriott Hotel, 2700 Mission College Blvd,
Santa Clara, CA 95054
Fee: Students (with valid Ids): $5 RSVP, $10 at the door
Other: $10 RSVP (rsvp@svcwireless.org),
$15 at the door
RSVP: Deadline for RSVP is Thursday mid-night, September 4, 2003.
Agenda: 12:30 PM - 1:00 PM Registration and Networking
1:00 PM - 3:40 PM Presentation and Panel Discussion
3:40 - 4:00 PM RFID Gadgets Exhibition
Summary:
SVCWireless September seminar will put RFID technology in perspective by
following a "how-things-work" story line from the beginning of high-volume
deployment for a specific application to the all-out adaptation of RFID tags
for wider applications. The seminar provides insights into an emerging
technology that is driven by its users and brings together engineering minds
from fields of nano-technology, wireless networking, database development,
process control and, last but not least, the entire channel from manufacturing,
transportation and retail.
1) Real-World Solution for Real-Time Technologies, 1:05PM - 1:35PM
Vikra Verma
CEO
Savi Technology (www.savi.com)
2) RFID: A Revolution in Progress, 1:35PM -2:05PM
Tom Pounds
Vice President of Business Development and Marketing
Alien Technology (www.alientechnology.com)
3) The Network Infrastructure, 2:05PM - 2:35PM
Vijay Sarathi
Solutions Marketing Manager
Sun Micro systems
4) From a Beep to a Buck, 2:35PM - 3:05PM
Dr. Richard Swan
Auto-ID Technical Director
Corporate Research
SAP (www.sap.com)
5) Panel Discussion: What Brings the Future - Opportunities and Challenges
3:05PM - 3:40PM
Moderator: Faysal Sohail
General Partner
CMEA Ventures (www.cmeaventures.com)
6) RFID Gadgets Exhibition, 3:40PM - 4:00PM
You will see some interesting RFID tags and tagged products.
For details on speakers' bios, summaries and RSVP, please go to:
http://www.svcwireless.org
The International Association of Privacy Professionals is having its IAPP Privacy Academy on October 29-31 in Chicago. You can download a brochure for the conference.
Whimsy, not news or serious commentary: 'My RFID chip would conveniently inform strangers: "This is Alex Beam the writer for The Boston Globe. Not Alex Beam the starting pitcher for the Allegheny Pirates in 1889." I think you can see why this new technology is generating so much excitement.... Alex Beam. (This may become a pay-per-view link in a few days.)
'There are lots of regulatory options .... we should look for the one that maximizes the use and benefits of the technology, minimizes the risk of abuse, and looks for the outcome that is in the best interests of the public and the nation.' The Auto-ID Center's Testimony to the Califonia State Senate's RFID & Privacy hearing on Monday August 18. The testimony can be viewed as .html or downloaded as a .pdf file. It also contains links to select Auto-ID Center Research on the topic of RFID & Privacy.
sv_rfid is a group on Yahoo Groups. Here's what they say:
Our Goal is to promote the emerging RFID technology, foster understanding, and build relationships within the industry and the public. The group plans to deliver, within the framework of a Special Interest Group, education, information, and networking via technology domain briefings, seminars, and monthly meetings in Silicon Valley locations. We cover the RFID technology arena from passive to active UWB, from access control to retail apps, and issues from application design to data security, protection, and privacy.
Topics include but are not limited to: - Passive and active ID tags and their related readers, - Location Based Services (LBS), - Application Infrastructure (servers and network), - Asset control and management, - Supply Chain Management (SCM), - Warehouse Management System (WMS), - Customer Relation Management (CRM), - Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), - Logistics, Data Mining, - Homeland Security related issues, - Hardware and software design, including Bluetooth, WiFi, UWB.
Bowen's hearing in California took place. This article on C|Net includes quotes from the hearing, and concludes:
Bowen said that the introduction of legislation to control the use of RFID is "possible," but that she's not at the bill stage yet. Even if she were to draft a bill, it would not be her goal to outlaw RFID, she said. Bowen herself uses a special pet-tracking chip that uses RFID to keep tabs on her cats.
"Is the goal of this hearing is to restrict the use of the technology? No," Bowen said. "It's not our goal to create legislation that says this technology could never be used. It's to gain a better understanding."
Bowen, who is the chair of the legislative subcommittee on new technologies, has been on the forefront of the antispam legislation movement. An outspoken advocate of consumer privacy, Bowen also helped draft and introduce bills that would regulate face recognition technology, consumer data collected by cable and satellite television companies, and shopper loyalty cards used in grocery chains.
Policymakers in Britain are also starting to ponder the privacy implications of RFID. A member of Britain's Parliament recently submitted a motion for debate on the regulation of RFID devices when the government returns from its summer recess next month.
C|Net reports that "China will replace paper national identification (ID) cards with electronic identity cards starting 2004, according to wire agency Dow Jones."
The new digital ID card which uses smart ID technology will be carried by 960 million Chinese citizens. The embedded microchip in the plastic card stores an individual's personal information that can be read and checked against databases kept by China's security authorities.
Today brings another story about the California Legislature starting hearings on how RFID use in products will affect consumers' privacy. This one adds little of substance to the article from Monday, but does include a bevy of quotes worth considering.
Some coverage of the concerns around the Gillette trial, and their response:
http://news.com.com/2100-1039_3-5063990.html
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1103_2-5062542.html
The article itself only mentions privacy issues in passing, and at the end, but the feedback bboard attached to the article is rife with privacy related commentary. That's the part I found most interesting.
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1103_2-5062009.html