Privacy, Spectrum Issues Dominate Optimistic RFID Expo
Privacy, cost and environmental concerns “are real ones” facing the radio frequency identification (RFID) industries, said Sen. Leahy (D-Vt.) on Wed. Addressing the RFID Technology Exhibition & Policy Primer on Capitol Hill, Leahy said technology isn’t a partisan issue. “It’s not a Democratic or Republican concern,” Leahy said. Sen. Burns (R-Mont.) called the Congressional Internet Caucus, which hosted the event, the “most active caucus in Washington.” Burns said “the new [RFID] technologies will be a part of our lives in some way or another,” and legislation to check potential abuses isn’t off the table.
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“The database is the critical piece” in securing data privacy, said Elliot Maxwell of Johns Hopkins U. and Pa. State U., who moderated a policy panel. Dan Caprio, Deputy Asst. Secy. of Commerce for Technology Policy, agreed: “Most privacy concerns about RFID” exist “at or after the point of sale.” The potential for bizarre surveillance and illicit customer tracking is a legitimate concern, Caprio said, but more practical questions will involve RFID notice for consumers, tag cutting/disabling, and how or why data are collected beyond shipping. Paula Bruenig of the Center for Democracy & Technology said the invisibility to consumers of the tagging and ereading processes “does present problems… It’s going to be really important to figure out how to disclose data collection processes and to establish best practices.” Bruenig said such practices are emerging; she cited the American Library Assn.’s guidelines for RFID database security, released this year.
Defense and health care have been early adopters, driven by the need for increased inventory efficiency, Maxwell said. Unsurprisingly, Alan Estevez, Asst. Deputy Undersecy. of Defense for Supply Chain Integration, agreed, saying 5 million SKUs are active in the U.S. military’s “fairly complex supply chain.” With shipping fairly costly and potentially dangerous in war zones, Estevez said, a fully deployed RFID tracking system could save taxpayers $300 million a year.
One issue for a growing RFID industry is spectrum allocation, Maxwell said. “Is there enough spectrum available for trillions of chips?” he asked. Cost reductions will help the industry grow but expansion may crowd the spectrum. Maxwell said increased exposure to “more and more radio frequency” might be a concern for environmental advocacy groups. Sandra Hughes, Global Privacy Exec. for Proctor & Gamble and co-chmn., EPCGlobal Public Policy Working Group, said out of a sense of corporate stewardship both are addressing not only environmental concerns, but privacy matters and possible effects on employment.