EDPS Opinion on RFID: major opportunities for Information Society but privacy issues need to be addressed with more ambition

Photo: RFID Tab. Wikipedia

Text source: European Commission Press Release

The European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) today issued his Opinion on the Commission's communication on Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) in Europe that was released in March 2007. The Opinion deals with the growing use of RFID chips in consumer products and other new applications affecting individuals.

The EDPS welcomes the Commission's Communication on RFID as it addresses the main issues arising from the deployment of RFID technology while taking account of privacy and data protection considerations. The EDPS agrees with the Commission that it is appropriate in the first phase to leave room for self-regulatory instruments. However, additional legislative measures may be necessary to regulate RFID usage in relation to privacy and data protection.

Peter Hustinx, EDPS, says: "RFID systems could play a key role in the development of the European Information Society but the wide acceptance of RFID technologies should be facilitated by the benefits of consistent data protection safeguards. Self-regulation alone may not be enough to meet the challenge. Legal instruments may therefore be required to guarantee that the technical solutions to minimise the risks for data protection and privacy are in place."

More specifically, the EDPS calls on the Commission to consider the following recommendations:

• the provision of a clear guidance, in close cooperation with relevant stakeholders, on how to apply the current legal framework to the RFID environment;


• the adoption of a Community legislation regulating the main issues of RFID-usage in case the effective implementation of the existing legal framework fails;


• such measures should notably lay down the opt-in principle at the point of sale as a precise and undeniable legal obligation;


• the identification of "Best Available Techniques" which will play a decisive role in the early adoption of the privacy-by-design principle.
  

RFID tags

Article published at KSTP

Privacy and security need to be built into radio frequency identification tags before they become widespread, the European Commission said, announcing it would publish guidelines later this year.

RFID chips can be used to automatically identify and verify passports, luggage, livestock or pharmaceuticals and have a wide range of potential uses, from telling doctors what medicines patients have been given to instantly pointing out expired food.

Read the full article

RFID Consultation Website

European Commission RFID Website

Commission proposes a European policy strategy for smart radio tags

European Commission Press Release

Exactly one year after launching an extensive Europe-wide public consultation on radio frequency identification (RFID) tags, the Commission has unveiled on 15 March 2007 its proposals for an RFID strategy for Europe. The Commission, in particular, proposes to address the privacy concerns of citizens to boost consumer confidence and Europe's position in a market experiencing 60% growth globally.

(15/03/2007) "From fighting counterfeits to better healthcare, smart RFID-chips offers tremendous opportunities for business and society," said Information Society and Media Commissioner Viviane Reding when presenting the Commission's strategy today at CeBIT, the world's largest annual IT fair in Hanover, Germany. "Last year I said here at CeBIT that we should stimulate the use of RFID technology in Europe whilst safeguarding personal data and privacy. The Commission's Europe-wide public consultation in 2006 identified a strong lack of awareness and considerable concern among citizens. The Commission's RFID strategy will therefore seek to raise awareness, stress the absolute need for citizens to decide how their personal data is used and ensure that Europe removes existing obstacles to RFID's enormous potential."

RFID – also called smart radio tags – is a technology which involves tags that emit radio signals as identifiers, and devices that pick up the signal and identify the tags. It has a wide range of applications and does not require direct contact or line-of-sight scanning.

Full press release

Communication : English - French - German

Consultation report

RFID and Ubiquitous Computing

"RFID and Ubiquitous Computing"

Marc Rotenberg, EPIC Executive Director

Trans Atlantic Consumer Dialogue

Brussels, BelgiumMarch 12, 2007

The new mu-chip by Hitachi

Image source www.pinktentacle.com

Text Source: Hitachi website

The RFID, wireless semiconductor integrated circuit that stores an ID number in its memory, was proposed about a decade ago as an alternative to the barcode. Its use, however, has so far been limited to a few applications where its advantages offset its relatively high cost.


The µ-chip is Hitachi's response to resolving some of the issues associated with conventional RFID technology. The µ-chip uses the frequency of 2.45GHz. It has a 128-bit ROM for storing the ID with no write-read and no anti-collision capabilities. Its unique ID numbers can be used to individually identify trillions of trillions of objects with no duplication. Moreover with a size of 0.4mm square, the µ-chip is small enough to be attached to a variety of minute objects including embedding in paper.

Sources:

Hitachi develops RFID powder

Codigo Cero

Smart Card Alliance Releases Security, Privacy Guidelines

Article published at PCMAG.COM

The Smart Card Alliance, which represents a plethora of companies and governmental entities with a vested interest in the successful marriage of RFID and technology, has come out with best practice suggestions for companies implementing radio frequency technology in identity management systems.

The goal of the best practice guidelines issued by the Alliance Identity Council—three around security; seven around privacy—is to address concerns, voiced mainly by advocates, about potential citizen protection and rights violations with the use of RFID technology in identification documents.

The questions from security and privacy advocates come at a time of tremendous activity around identification cards and payment systems that utilize RFID technology.

Read the full article