Radio%20Frequency%20Identification%20(RFID)%20Systems

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Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) Systems

• John Wittenauer

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Radio Frequency What?

• RFID systems transmit data between a source
  (known as a tag) and a reader that can retrieve
  that data and interpret it in some way
• The type of data transmitted can be virtually
  anything
• Tags can vary in size and obscurity

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Technology Advances

• Right now most RFID systems are too expensive for
  a more mainstream use, but prices are falling
  rapidly
• RF tags may cost as little as a penny each by the
  end of the decade
• New, innovative ways to implement them are being
  invented

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The New Barcode?

• RFID systems could replace barcodes for
  inventory-tracking if the cost is feasible
• More complex information can be transmitted using
  RF tags
• Able to operate from a distance, without direct
• line-of-sight

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Drawbacks

• Safeguarding the information being transmitted is
  an issue
• As technology improves, the capability of RFID
  systems will increase
• Enormous potential for abuse

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VeriChip

• Small RFID device meant to be implanted into the
  human body
• Requires minor surgery to be implanted

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How It Works

• Each chip transmits a unique ID number that
  corresponds to information stored in a database
  run by Applied Digital
• Marketed as a universal form of identification
• Anyone with a reader could potentially gain
  access to that information...

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Sounds crazy right?

• Wrong VeriChip isnt a pipe dream, its already
  being used
• FDA approved VeriChip for use in numerous medical
  applications in October 2004
• Also being used in a number of experimental
  programs
• Applied Digital Solutions Inc. marketing VeriChip
  with campaign slogan Get Chipped

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Conclusion

• "The right to be left alone -- the most
  comprehensive of rights, and the right most
  valued by a free people."
• - Justice Louis Brandeis, Olmstead v. U.S.
  (1928)
• Everyone agrees RFID technology can be useful,
  but potential for abuse and invasion of privacy
  is undeniable
• Where do we draw the line?