California state Senator Bowen has introduced
a bill to regulate the use of radio frequency identification (RFID) systems .
Key elements of the bill is that it would require an individual's written consent "before attaching or
storing personally identifiable information with data collected via an
RFID tag or before any personally identifiable information collected
via an RFID system is shared with a third party."
One of the big problems with this bill: it doesn't define what RFID is. I think that it's talking about Electronic Product Code tags, but it's hard to know for sure. Perhaps its talking about Mobil Speed Pass. Perhaps it is talking about your building entry proximity card.
From: Katherine Albrecht
Date: Fri, 20 Feb 2004 09:02:22 -0500
Dear Henry:
Thank you for posting a link to AIM Global's latest
anti-privacy-advocate piece, "The ROI of Privacy Invasion," on the
RFIDPrivacy.org website, as I would have probably missed it otherwise.
You might have scratched your head when you got to the end of the
article to read that "C.A.S.P.I.A.N. is trying to get legislation
introduced into Congress to outlaw RFID tagging," especially after
hearing my libertarian views against such legislation at the MIT privacy
workshop you helped host in November (available via streaming video
online at your website). I know I certainly did a double take at this
statement, because I have never called for such a thing.
As I said publicly at your event, I oppose legislative solutions to the
RFID privacy problem, preferring instead to apply market pressures to
encourage businesses to behave responsibly.
I have written to AIM Global to clarify our position and have requested
a public correction to their article. If you are interested, you can
read a copy of my letter to AIM President Dan Mullen at
http://www.spychips.com/aimletter.html.
Unfortunately, this is just one incident in what appears to be an
escalating trend of misrepresentation and carelessness when RFID
industry proponents discuss the efforts of the privacy community. It is
not the first time an industry representative has claimed I said
something I did not, or claimed that CASPIAN advanced a position it did
not. In fact, just last month Cap Gemini Ernst & Young even publicly
claimed that CASPIAN conducted research that we had not done!
It may be too early to tell whether this is an intentional
misinformation campaign by RFID campaigners or simply reflects the
shoddy research that has characterized other aspects of the RFID
industry. But until we get to the bottom of what is happening, I would
suggest taking third-hand accounts of my statements or positions with a
grain of salt.
With best wishes for continued freedom,
Katherine Albrecht
Founder and Director, CASPIAN
Consumers Against Supermrket Privacy Invasion and Numbering
http://www.spychips.com
http://www.nocards.org
p.s. Feel free to post this to the RFIDprivacy.org blog if you think it
appropriate.
Computerworld reports that: The Food and Drug Administration views radio frequency identification technology as the best way to track, control and identify prescription drugs and anticipates the widespread use of RFID tags to identify prescription drugs in the supply chain within three years.
Ann Cavoukian, Information and Privacy Commissioner for Ontario, has created a report on RFID privacy implications.
InfoWorld provides a couple of realistic "nightmare" scenarios in this article. I've read and partially agree with RFID advocates who debunk more extreme scenarios, such as ones that require monitoring people from afar (the physics doesn't work), or building a large-scale mesh of readers (too expensive), but what have they to say about these?
http://www.infoworld.com/article/04/02/13/07OPreality_1.html
http://www.aimglobal.org/technologies/rfid/resources/articles/jan04/0401-roispy.htm
Here's another example of marketing RFID to consumers - this time with glamour and experiencee as the enticement.
Katherine Albrecht went to germany and said "The German customers are the guinea pigs for the whole world," surprising the audience at the FoeBuD event in the Bunker Ulmenwall in Bielefeld, Germany, on Sunday, Jan. 1 2004.
The article at Foebud.org goes on to say "When Katherine Albrecht came to Germany on the invitation of FoeBuD and visited the Metro Future Store (which is in fact a supermarket that belongs to Metro's branch "Extra") on the day before her lecture she saw a totally different picture: "The German customers don't even know what is really happening there in the Future Store," is her résumé. "The signation of RFID tags in the Future store is not adequate - and there is never a word lost about the risk towards custmers' privacy."
A survey of U.S. consumers by Cap Gemini Ernst & Young reveals some occasionally surprising desires and concerns regarding RFID.
http://www.rfidjournal.com/article/articleview/780/1/1