Radio Frequency Identification Technologies A Workshop Summary (2004) / Chapter Skim
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2 Society and Culture
2 Society and Culture
Pages 21-28
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From page 21... ...
consumer, privacy, and civil liberties organizations endorsed a moratorium on RFID tags applied to consumer products.2 In addition, retailers Benetton and Wal-Mart both halted their early in-store tests of RFID inventory control systems -- Benetton was even threatened with a boycott, and for both companies tangible economic benefits were not immediately obvious. While the potential benefits of the technology are vast, there are risks inherent in large-scale deployment of RFID.
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From page 22... ...
lists five potential threats to privacy and civil liberties from the large-scale deployment of RFID technologies: hidden placement of tags, unique identifiers for all objects, massive data aggregation, hidden readers, and individual tracking and profiling. As described previously, "Big Brother" scenarios in which commercial interests or government can track an individual's every purchase and move by compiling vast quantities of minute data from electronic product codes within RFID tags are some time away from being realized.
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From page 23... ...
Some workshop participants argued that, to address public concerns most effectively, it makes sense to develop and deploy RFID technology -- even in these first, seemingly relatively neutral domains -- with social norms in mind. CHARACTERISTICS OF RADIO FREQUENCY IDENTIFICATION TECHNOLOGY IN SOCIAL TERMS RFID technology poses interesting challenges in terms of its cultural significance because of the following interrelated features: the tags are minuscule, and some do not require their own energy sources; the systems are mobile and potentially invisible; the readers operate wirelessly at relatively close range; and components (especially tags)
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From page 24... ...
A current example, the prospect of RFID tags in car tires, serves to elucidate some of these issues. The scenarios begin to unfold regarding information that can be collected and tied to a unique individual, even if only passive tags are embedded in the tires and those tags are not associated with any particular individual.
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From page 25... ...
Moreover, if lack of attention to privacy and social concerns means that advocates are forced to be more confrontational in order to have their concerns heard, it is possible that socially constructive uses of RFID technologies, from education and medicine to commercial applications, will be stymied. Because social norms evolve, the technologies and the regulations for RFID technology must be agile.
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From page 26... ...
Indeed, the primary recommendation of advocacy groups is to conduct a formal technology assessment of RFID. At present, the Fair Information Practice Principles should be noted, along with the privacy guidelines of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.12 A minimum set of guidelines culled from these sources yields five basic provisions for a possible RFID policy: · Notice/awareness -- transparency in the use and maintenance of RFID systems, with clear labeling, and without secret databases or tag reading; visibility; · Purpose specification -- notification of the purpose of any tag or reader; · Collection limitations -- collection of information limited to the purpose at hand; · Accountability -- RFID users responsible for complying with privacy provisions; formal entities to be established for monitoring and complaints; and · Security safeguards -- verifiable security and integrity in transmission, databases, and system access.13 In addition, a number of technical strategies are being explored to begin to address these principles.
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From page 27... ...
As sociologist Anthony Giddens argues, contemporary society is riddled with abstract systems that require a nearly blind trust, akin to faith.15 In order for emerging technology to earn this trust, workshop participants argued that safeguards, such as those mentioned above from the Fair Information Practice Principles, should be in place. To evolve RFID technology such that societal, commercial, and governmental interests work together will require significant and meaningful participation by a range of stakeholders, including advocates of the public interest.
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From page 28... ...
Given the vast differences in individual preferences regarding privacy, along with a range of social norms, the establishment of public trust with respect to RFID technology will be a complicated, long-term undertaking. Indeed, it may be that trusted technology developers will hold a special corner on the market.20 If RFID systems are not designed, developed, and deployed with public trust in mind, privacy advocates may feel the need to resort to less restrained efforts -- worst-case scenarios hold powerful sway in the public imagination.
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