Cameron Sturdevant at eWeek wrote this opinion piece nearly a month ago and I wanted to blog it then, but I was never able to find it on eWeek's website with their search feature. Google finally picked it up, so now I can blog it for you...
Cameron argues why RFID tags should not be put in library books.
Sorry for the lack of postings lately. It's not that the press has been quiet about RFID over the past couple of weeks. In fact, I've been kept quite busy keeping up with all of the clippings. However, it has been more of the same: product and services announcements, coverage of missed deadlines, discussions of ROI, and yes, some angst over privacy issues we've covered before. Nothing I felt worthy of reporting here.
However, I found this article in the Boston Globe by Hiawatha Brey to be a refreshingly engaging yet succinct take on the privacy debate. He may be trivializing privacy concerns by equating them with annoyances, yet the word feels right.
Privacy concerns aside, as RFID use increases so will the annoyances. Speedpass is a remarkably well done implementation of an RFID system. It's right there on your keychain, so if you've got your car, you've got a way to pay for the gas. The system's signage and feedback are simple and straightforward. But then a valet swaps your Speedpass with one that's he's previously stolen (and has since been deactivated) and you've got headaches. It happens.
Toll transponders save tremendous amounts of time at the entrance and exits from the freeways, but my boss is constantly griping about the Massachusetts implementation. He routinely has large fines appear on his bill because the antifraud safeguards within the system are overly simplistic. From what I have read, he is not alone.
As RFID use spreads, minor glitches, analogous to cell phone static and dropped calls, will be an inevitable part of the experience. And there will be gross failures with these systems such as those examplified above. As Hiawatha asks, will the benefits be worth it? He thinks so, and so do I.
I have no idea if this is an April fools joke or not, but it's worth reading nonetheless!