RFID Tags and Invasion of Personal Privacy Essay -- Exploratory Essays

RFID Tags and Invasion of Personal Privacy Historically, the advent of innovative, influential technology has reformed our lives in post-industrial America, creating new amenities on hand, along with altering conventional laws governing this facet of modern living.   The revolutionary and global capability of telecommunications has shaped new means for dealing with information, and changed the role of a private citizen among this new technology.   Traditionally in America, private citizens have been separate from government or public involvement in personal matters such as identity, and unique characteristics defining that identity.   Lately, radio frequency identification (RFIDs) is an upcoming method for tracking objects or even people, representing a very useful yet personally invasive technology.   Considering this recent invention, RFIDs have the potential to be a major progression in information processing, and benefit life in public as a citizen.   Conversely, RFIDs confront the basic American right to privac y, and ones personal uniqueness.   Regardless of RFID benefits, legislation and citizen awareness will need to advance along with this technology in turn to protect themselves from invasion of their personal right to privacy. RFID tags essentially provide a way for a third party, such as a government agency or corporations, to track an object over enormous distances in order to convey the location of, or information about that object.   As a part of the new electronic product code (EPC), invented by the Auto I.D. Center at MIT, RFID tags were implemented to identify individual objects in a market setting, providing more efficient distribution and manufacturing logistics (Albright A8).   Common applications of these tags... ...tions resulting from application of RFID tags involves the widespread monitoring of objects, and in some cases an individual's identity, with or without their knowledge.   Legislation and civil rights interest groups reinforce public knowledge of RFID technology, whether in the market or a medical setting.   The public needs to be conscious of technology, to be able to defend themselves against inherent threats to their personal rights. Works Cited * Albright, Brian. "The need to know. " Frontline Solutions  1 Sep. 2003: A8-A10. * Anonymous. "RFID raises questions in SF, other libraries.  "  Newsletter On Intellectual Freedom  1  May2004: 91-92.   * Dipert, Brian. "READING BETWEEN THE LINES: RFIDs confront the venerable bar code.  "  Edn  14  Oct.  2004:   48-50,52,54,56,58. * Holland, Tom. "Shopping-Cart Spy Chips.  "  Far Eastern Economic Review 9  Sep.  2004:  36-39.