Happy with RFID?

At least, there are positive feedbacks from RFID, especially those who do groceries: http://www.tuvps.co.uk/news/articles/shoppers-favour-rfid-in-grocery-shops-18066946.asp.
Some Canadian, Briton and EU shoppers are pretty comfortable with the deployment. Interestingly, this blogger said: http://www.trevor-mendham.com/atuxviii/blog/index.html. that there's no people in RFID games. I have found his views and analysis quite a balanced one. I think, the news from BBC had triggered such of his comments: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/6358697.stm. Two (2) divided views: First, RFID increases patient's safety and priority. Second said, we are human beings, not robot!

RFID technology in theme park: mixed reactions

It's always good to know that RFID technology has contributed towards efficiency of a park management system. This RFID service provider illustrates beautifully how it works: http://www.rcg.tv/industries/14.html. My observation on technology illustration: synchronisation of database and central database seems to be a shady debate (on it's control and legitimacy).

In common cases, most theme parks provide wristband in it - where inadvertently they do not realise that it has RFID-enabled-applications. This is the means to avoid potential "lost" or "kidnapping" in theme parks. A great deal on the latter is found in Legoland, Denmark: http://www.rfidjournal.com/article/articleview/921/1/1/. However, last year in Staffordshire, UK, privacy was highlighted as major concern: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/ff6d7f30-cc1c-11da-a7bf-0000779e2340.html. Such effort to provoke the public thought on such RFID threat remains active, this tells why: http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/exhibitions/spying/pdfs/7.2.5%20Spy%20Implants%20664KB.pdf

My another observation: People would be able to know the impact when he or she has experienced such "lost" or "kidnapping".

Public is misled by RFID?

With astonishing alacrity, this article: http://www.fcw.com/article89573-07-14-05-Web, wrote on the public's fear on RFID. How I wish I would able to disseminate and diffuse that this technology is not meant to be feared. The key word to debunk such perception and fearness is "Education" and "Dissemination". I think, that has been the major setbacks in many countries who are attempting to deploy RFID technology without having a balanced package - which includes education and road show. My opinion: The article retrieved, may be old as it seems (back 2005) as the Californian RFID Bill has already been passed as a law. As always, it's the game between Privacy proponents versus RFID technologists. Until today, the "monopoly game" remains unstoppable.

Technology Liberation Front, however, have had written unwittingly to debunk such perception and perhaps, cynically: http://www.techliberation.com/archives/014191.php and the quite recent one (in 2006) here: http://www.techliberation.com/archives/039568.php. I like their views (on certain aspects, personally).

Learning the difference: Active and Passive RFID

Learning the notion of RFID technology is a herculean task, especially when one does not have a technology background. Realising the latter's pressing needs, I attempted to find the general difference between active and passive RFID. This article: http://www.autoid.org/2002_Documents/sc31_wg4/docs_501-520/520_18000-7_WhitePaper.pdf
has provided an overview and extended the technology application in real time supply chain asset management. This article is worthy to be read and extracted. This article also argues on the need to have an RFID standards for RFID community. That (the standard) is one of the key issues that are considered by the European Union in its RFID consultation. Hopefully, the outcome will witness some interesting move.

RFID option:market or legal regulation?

Leading RFID authours said here: http://www.rfidbuzz.com/news/2004/rfid_and_privacy_market_or_legal_regulation.html
that RFID should be self-regulated. Some said it should be regulated by legal means. It's pretty interesting to have learnt the different views: from the hat of consumer privacy, businessmen and civil liberties. The challenging question for RFID is how and when to draw the line between market and legal regulation? Until now, it remains a shady debate despite of the existing standards on spectrum, deregulation of RFID spectrum and white papers in the EU. The line is still blur.

Question for RFID regulation

"Who will regulate RFID?" - that article written by Catherine Komp which detailed the best practices required for RFID. The article is readable here: http://newstandardnews.net/content/index.cfm/items/3130
In 2006, The Center for Democracy and Technology has outlined the interim draft of privacy best practices, which are only meant for guidance and internal control. The draft best practices are reacheable here: http://www.cdt.org/privacy/20060501rfid-best-practices.php
I think, there is already a final version of privacy best practices in RFID technology. I am anticipating the similar move to take place in the UK and EU too.

RFID Regulations - US, EU, China and Japan

Different approaches and different applications - that is what I could say in global RFID regulations. Promisingly, US is the leader in this area. However, based on the link I have discovered here: http://www.impinj.com/page.cfm?ID=aboutRFIDRegulations, it should also mention Singapore's IDA approach as well.

Another RFID report by IBM (2006)

IBM (IBM Business Consulting Services), has been always, the leader (prove me, if i'm wrong) of producing RFID analysis, report and recommendation. Another report produced by IBM is dedicated to the Grocery Manufacturers' Association in the US. It has extensively outlined the findings, challenges and advantages of Electronic Product Code (EPC) and RFID. I am attracted with this tagline " EPC/RFID IS NOT A ONE-SIZE-FITS-ALL Technology". Indeed, what IBM mentioned in the report is accurate. Read this for further understanding: http://www-03.ibm.com/industries/consumerproducts/doc/content/bin/GMA_IBM_EPC_framework_report_final_3_28_2006.pdf

RFID report by IBM (2005)

The RFID report of IBM (IBM Center for the Business of Government), authored by David C Wyld, Maurin Professor of Management and Director of Strategic e-Commerce/e-Government Initiative Southeastern Louisana University, is readable here: http://businessofgovernment.org/pdfs/WyldReport4.pdf
I predict and believe, this report would be a useful guidance for developing countries to strategise such RFID deployment (at present and in the near future). I am targeting a few days for me to extract my understanding and thoughts, hopefully.

Tracking artifacts with RFID

It is claimed that the National Museum of Malaysia will be one of the first museums (in South East Asia) to conduct artifact tracking by RFID. The claim is readable here: http://star-techcentral.com/tech/story.asp?file=/2007/3/1/technology/16983203&sec=technology have some reservation on it unless a thorough research has been made in Thailand, Indonesia and Singapore. In my opinion, tracking artifacts with RFID seems to be an alternative speedy option for logistic and housekeeping convenient. I am, however, unsure whether the great British Museum deploys RFID in its tracking artifacts activities.

Malaysian RFID Microchip (MM Chip)

Latest development in RFID Malaysia: MM Chip secured its Patent rights (after four (4) years of substantive examination) and was officially announced by the Malaysian Prime Minister yesterday. At this juncture, joint venture negotiations are taking place between RFID based companies to boost the chip into Malaysian RFID market. I wonder how would these companies address privacy concerns, in the absence of privacy and data protection legislation. The details of MM Chip release is reachable here:-
http://star-techcentral.com/tech/story.asp?file=/2007/3/1/technology/16996516&sec=technology

A privacy code for RFID proponents?

The suggestions by the Enterprise Privacy Group (EPG) of 3rd May 2005, seems to be interesting. Toby Stevens, the Director of EPG has succintly put some key principles of the privacy code for the RFID technologies here: http://www.rfidconsultation.eu/docs/ficheiros/EPG_RFID_Privacy_Code_of_Conduct.pdf
I think, he may expand the principles in interfacing technologies too. However, worth a reading.

RFID and risk management in retail

In the retailing industry, http://www.dcs.bbk.ac.uk/~gr/pdf/roussos_v1.4.pdf, George Roussos suggested that risk management would be the preferred mechanism for implementation. Efficient Consumer Response (ECR) Initiative has been a success in the EU (he wrote). Besides, Vendor Managed Inventory (VMI) approach is also considered as something viable towards implementing RFID in retailing. A good article for my further technical understanding in the EU, especially on ECR and VMI.

RFID Management in IT project?

David Norfolk, has written a precise article on managing RFID opportunity. He has used these approaches: inventory management, operational risk, security risk, people risk, technology risk and integration risk assessment (between metadata and semantics) as the key means for an RFID management. I applaud the technical method especially when it involves large scale RFID applications and solutions plus middleware. Leading companies like Ford and TNT have been adopting the mechanism. In my opinion, that itself (the approaches) was the tactical option that they might have after a thorough risk assessment (as possible control). The article by David Norfolk is readable here:http://www.regdeveloper.co.uk/2006/03/01/rfid_tibco_tnt/page2.html

RFID and data ownership

The position of data owenership in RFID remains a shady debate to all (US, UK, EU, Australia and Canada). In finding a general and interesting observation of data ownership, I have come into this masterpiece: http://louisville.edu/infosec/Spring%202006/Smith.ppt#256,1,RFID
Assistant Professor of Law, Lars S Smith has explained the debate from two (2) perspectives: civil and common law. Also, extending the data ownership within intellectual property rights regime. I think, it's a fair observation and mind stimulating to find such workable answer(s).

"RFID: Is legal risk management relevant in consumer privacy?"

I had posted yesterday on my proposed abstract. Today, I am pleased to say that the abstract of the above has been accepted by the conference committee for presentation. The link to the conference: http://www.iltc.eu
Details of my paper, photo and short resume will be posted in due course.

Follow up research on: "Researching RFID's surveillance potential"

In 2005, a Consultant - Ross Stapleton-Gray started the above research: http://www.rfidjournal.com/article/articleprint/1765/-1/1. The project was called as "The Sorting Door Project". I am attracted with the mission of the project - now, it should have been published and highlighted to RFID stakeholders and the government - I assume. To quote his statement, written by Mark Robeti in the RFID journal of 28 July 2005 (note my bold and italicised words - the views were laudable):-

..." Stapleton-Gray says the short range of passive RFID tags will constrain RFID-based surveillance to narrow portals or doorways. Doorways are logical places to want to monitor individuals. For example, a company might want to install readers at a store entrance to prevent a potential criminal from entering, or to welcome a valued customer. If and when individuals are carrying or wearing RFID-tagged items, they’ll be visible to RFID readers, or interrogators. RFID readers, in turn, will be widely deployed for a host of applications, including antitheft monitoring in stores and libraries, facility access and supermarket checkout terminals.

The Sorting Door project will try to determine how possible RFID-based surveillance may be once RFID tags become ubiquitous "I'm expecting that research will range from the theoretical (imagine every door on a college campus instrumented; what could we say about activities on campus, and could we detect potential dangerous situations?) to the empirical (putting a reader in a public place and recording what goes by), subject to research guidelines on dealing with human subjects," Stapleton-Gray explains.

"Ideally, the Sorting Door project becomes a confederation of a lot of participants, contributing data and tools, so it's possible to understand how common—or not—tags are within different populations, including both U.S. and foreign, and the project accumulates a certain collective intelligence." Another of the project’s goals will be to examine how inferences might be made from tag data. "For example, if a reader sees the same unique ID on repeated occasions, that would allow a company or government agency to construct a John Doe dossier on an individual," he says. "The organization could then associate a individual with that dossier if, for example, the individual scanned for RFID tags also provided a credit card or driver’s license in making a purchase, or being carded when entering a bar. The next time that tag is read, one can infer that the same individual is present."

It would also be possible to read and use information about products to make additional inferences. If someone were to pass through a doorway carrying or wearing a size-four Donna Karan dress, for example, software could be set up to infer that the person was more likely to be a petite woman than a tall man.

"Some RFID proponents have been dismissive of privacy concerns, noting, for instance, that it might cost upwards of a trillion dollars for the U.S. government to pay to outfit every door in the country’s malls, bus stations, airports, commercial and government buildings and so on with RFID readers, then network them into a single surveillance grid," says Stapleton-Gray.

"But just as the Internet grew from a collective interest in interconnecting private pieces of what became a global network, pure self-interest might lead to a similar 'RFID Internet.' When a great many organizations have fielded RFID readers for their own applications, networking them and aggregating data for new purposes may be quite cost-effective." ...

Now, my next to-do-task is to contact the Consultant, ascertaining the outcome - if he is willingly to entertain my query.

An impressive article on RFID and privacy

This article is quite a cutting-edge of RFID research - especially linking the privacy concern towards consumers. The latter is also one (1) of my primary interests in RFID interdisciplinary research. I stumbled across this impressive sixty three (63) pages of Article: "RFID and Privacy: shopping into surveillance" jointly authored by George Hariton, John Lawford and Hasini Palihapitiya - all from Public Interest Advocacy Centre, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. All of these authors have beautifully analysed the Canadian legislation - Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) as well as analysing the views made by the Canada's Office of Privacy Commisssioner (OPPC). The paper argues extensively on PIPEDA and OPPC's views and cross referred to the neighbour's legislation - US (particularly California). The paper was thoroughly researched through Industry's Canada funding. I am still reading the first (1st) quarter of the pages - and yet, there are already many questions and analysis that I have reserved for them. The article is readable here:
http://www.piac.ca/privacy/radio_frequency_identification_rfid_and_privacy_shopping_into_surveillance/