We've recently been talking about RFID tags in class, and I finally decided to find some information so that I know better how these tags might affect mankind.
What is it?
RFID technology is the next logical step after the Universal Product Code
(UPC) that appears on virtually all consumer products. The UPC can tell the
scanner that an item is a 15-ounce bag of Lay’s Potato Chips and sells for
$2.99. The store’s inventory of chips is then reduced by one. RFID technology
can determine where and when the potato chips were made, which
batch it was from, and when it was shipped. It can then serve as a tracking
method that is much more sophisticated than mere inventory data.
The spread of RFID technology has raised privacy concerns, especially regarding its potential to track the movements of individuals. RFID tags can be included in items without public knowledge, and items with RFIDs can be tracked when they leave the store. Personal information is readily available online or in databases due to public records and other sources.
Consumers have little or no control in suppressing or editing most of it. For example, paying just $26 for each person, the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer
Rights obtained the social security numbers and home addresses of CIA Director George Tenet,
Attorney General John Ashcroft, and Presidential Chief Political Advisor Karl Rove.12 Information about almost anyone can be acquired if data about these high profile figures are so easily accessible.
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