Imagine a future where all your affiliation with a unique number identifiable with the brush marks of a scanner, in which the position of your car is always able to identify, and where the signal-emitting microchips storing personal information are implanted under the skin or incorporated in internal organs.
This is the future potential of radio frequency identification (RFID), a technology whose application to date largely Supply Chain Management Limited (allowingCompanies, for example, keep track of how much a particular product, they must keep in stock), but is now experiencing for the tracking of the passport, among others. RFID will be applied in a variety of consumer settings. Already harmless products such as shampoo, lip balm cheese, razor blades, clothing and fresh products are tested RFID-enabled merchants and marketing promoted as the next revolution in the comfort of the customer. Protection of consumers say that this is the way in whichnightmare for a future in which privacy is a picturesque relapse.
How RFID works
There are two types of RFID tags: active and passive. When most of it comes to RFID, we talk about passive tags, where a radio frequency from a transmitter to a chip or card that will be sent no cell power for himself, but uses the transmitted signal to power itself long enough encoded with an ID in response. This numeric identifier really carries no information other than a single number,but against a database, the staff, the number with other data, the ID of the RFID tags can enter information into the database for the production of this number is entered.
An active tag has its own internal power source and can also save, how to send more detailed information.
The RFID value chain involves three parts: the players, tags and application software that powers these systems. From there, the data generated through the software interface with other systemsused in a business, or obtain the information or collect yourself, concievably by governments or organizations more nefarious.
Where it is today
They are global companies such as Gillette, Philips, Procter & Gamble, Wal-Mart and others see a significant savings from the use of RFID technology, and there are numerous pilot projects, which means savings in supply chains, as well as the ability to add value to the two owners of the product, retailer of products andCustomer.
But only the pilots, mostly. RFID is a long way from anywhere so far. Tracking pharmaceuticals has long been considered one of the jewels of RFID applications that take place in the short term, but only about 10 drugs that can be tagged with RFID technology on a large scale in the United States in 2006, analysts predict. Rollout lenses are in marked contrast to the optimism of a year ago, when the evidence suggested tripling or even quadrupling of RFID for consumer goodsMonitoring. Why? Uncertainty about the rules at issue. There is a complex mixture of federal and state laws new (especially in Florida and California) for theft and counterfeiting of drugs, the implications of RFID technology should fight. The details are still being processed.
If there is likely to be used tomorrow
Depending on which analyst you believe that the market for RFID 1.5000000000 to 30,000,000,000 dollars will be displayed until 2010. Analyst IDTechEx, which tracksIndustry believes more than 585 billion RFID tags will be delivered by 2016. One of the biggest growth industries, IDTechEx forsee the labeling of foods, books, drugs, tires, cards, secure documents (passports and visas), livestock, baggage and much more.
Buses and subways in some parts of the world are equipped with RFID readers, ready for multi-application e-ticket. These are likely to make things easier for commuters, and help stem the fraud from the current paper ticket system.But the biggest problem rollout of RFID technology to monitor micro-business course is not technical, but includes the agreement on the fees charged by the clearing house and lost the credit and tickets will be distributed discarded.
Passport monitoring
One of the highest profile uses of RFID tracking pass. After the terrorist attacks of 2001, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has wanted the world to agree on a standard for machine readable passports.Countries whose citizens currently do not have visa requirements to enter the U.S. passport, that the standard or risk losing the non-issue since the corresponding status.
American and other passports will be developed, which is also based on RFID chips, which allow storage of large amounts of data such as fingerprints and digital photos. In the United States, passports will be issued starting in October 2006. Early development of these passportsThere were gaping holes in security, such as the ability of any player, not just those who had, at passport control (the result from the fact that travelers would have been around RFID passports openly broadcasting their identity, making it easy for criminals to read easily - and surreptitiously - to choose Americans or citizens of other countries participating in a crowd).
Security vulnerabilities have been fixed with the addition of metal shielding of the passportCover to minimize legibility when it is closed, dial-back in electronics and the addition of a special electronic protocol called Basic Access Control (or BAC). They interpreted this passport requirements needed to be opened and before the scan data could properly through an RFID receiver. Unfortunately, in early February of 2006, Dutch security researchers were able to "eavesdrop" on the communication between a prototype BAC-protected passport and a receiver and cracked theProtocol. What is the international authority for development of this new passport must be global standard has been written back to the drawing board like this, because "bad guys" could very well stand in line at passport control and pass data acquisition. Details of the Dutch trick here.
Implications for applicants Privacy Policy
RFID has clear consequences for those who are concerned about their privacy and security. Some of them are obvious, and some of them are not.
It can be readwithout your knowledge - Since the tags can be read without swiped or obviously scanned (as is the case with magnetic stripe or bar code), each with an RFID tag reader can read the tags embedded in clothing and other consumer products without your knowledge. For example, you can scan before entering the store, just to see what you are wearing. You could be a writer, what you have faced in your backpack or purse and can suggest accessories or knowother articles. You can read a longer distance with a high-gain antenna - for various technical reasons, RFID reader / day designed so that the distance between the tag and the reader is kept to a minimum. However, a high-gain antenna actually read tags from farther away, leading to privacy problems. Governments or others could punch through privacy and control people. Difficult to remove - RFID tags are difficult to remove for consumers, some are very small(Less than half a millimeter square, and thin as a sheet of paper) - others can be hidden or embedded in a product where the consumer can not see them. New technologies allow RFID tags are printed directly on the product and can not be removed at any Disorders, if maliciously jammed - RF signals can be jammed, could complicate the lives of every day if RFID tags became essential. Imagine a central bus station or train station, perhaps an airport, where suddenly everyone could either be ID'dThe access to their cash accounts. A single hour of jamming in the morning rush hour over a large area could be a large city untold millions of dollars in late trade and transportation costs. It would be worse than a mass transit strike, and easier to repeat. Can a credit card number will be linked - The Universal Product Code (UPC) implemented with barcodes allows each product sold in a shop to have identified a unique number that product. The work is a comprehensive product-processIdentification would be a unique number to each element. If the item is scanned for purchase and is paid, the number of RFID tags for a particular item with a credit card number and was purchased to be associated. Potential falsification - When an RFID tag is used to authenticate a person, anyone can register with access to an RFID reader and someone easily forged another unique identifier, that is, in essence, their electronic"Signature". When an RFID tag, smart card is used for shopping, for example, could anyone intercepted and decoded your number, and scheduled another card with them to make accusations about him. Marking for the crime - even if you leave a deposit, all the RFID devices in things you buy are still active. A thief could walk past the mall and know exactly what you have in your bags, marking you as a potential victim. Some might even move your home with an RFID scannerand retrieve data on what is in the house before robbing it. As a result there are now discussions of "zombie" RFID tag, which expire when you leave the store, and to revive, even if the product to the store and returned to the supply chain. Marking for violence - military hardware and even clothing started to help make the use of RFID tags, these elements follow through supply chains. RFID will follow today by the U.S. military in Iraq and for materialsAfghanistan. Some analysts are some products that may cause high official, the bombs go through a scan of cars affected by the associated RFID. (Fortunately, the RFID tag held near the body can be analyzed only rarely. They are, for example, the UHF tag is the type most commonly used are virtually unreadable near the body due to its high water content.) Some have suggested that mobile phones are already as big as a threat to privacy, such as RFID. In the case of mobile telephonyPhones, information about your destiny and calling patterns is regularly available for the service provider, a centralized source of information and highly regulated. An opponent with special equipment would be the ability to track the phone, but this would require considerable expertise and investment. See our article on the dangers cell [http://www.powerprivacy.com/site.php/arti/read/cellphonehazards].
What makes a significant RFID privacyThreat mobile phones is the fact that the reader must be easily accessible and used ubiquitously. In other words, RFID readers will soon be an accepted part of daily life while their interception systems for mobile phones is unlikely to be.
How can the RFID
There are some approaches you can take to tackle the RFID tags can be ... But before you take proactive steps to keep in mind that sometimes the very absence of a tag, or the signal in places that might be expected to arouseSuspicion. For example, if you wear what you would expect that an RFID tag and spend your days will work, for example, invite the unwanted controls. Make sure that the tag that you choose to interfere.
The simplest approach is to disable RFID tags permanently is to destroy them. If you can recognize and want to permanently unusable, remove and destroy the component tiny chip with a hammer. If you are unsure if a product has a tag that contains,considered destroyed in a microwave with the date on which the object is otherwise microwave safe. Be careful with some plastics. Note: There are reports of RFID materials caught fire in the microwave was.
If the removal of the tag is not practical, there are four general ways to stop the RFID tag detection.
Block - Building a box conductive film (a sheet of aluminum is good) for the day. If you're worried about emissions of RFID badge work, school IDs of the new generationDriving licenses, credit cards and even cash in the future with RFID tags, or buy an RFID-proof wallet. RFID portfolio project details can be found easily on the Internet. Jamming - Since RFID systems use electromagnetic spectrum, how to make wireless networks and mobile phones are relatively easy to jam with a strong radio signal operates on the same frequency of the day. Although this is only an inconvenience for consumers in stores (longer waits at the counter), willcould be disastrous in other environments where RFID is increasingly used as hospitals or in military combat situations. Jammers which, however, in most cases, the provisions of the law in the radio emissions. A group of researchers in Amsterdam have theorized that a personal RFID jammer is possible (read their paper here [http://www.rfidguardian.org/papers/acisp.05.pdf]), but the device seems to only theoretically in this time. Repeated questions - Active RFID Tagsthat increasing the use of a battery, the range of the system can be interrogated over and over to wear down the battery, disturbing the system. Popping - For a very strong pulse of radiation at the right frequency can cause RFID tags to vibrate and break.
What strategy should be pursued depends on what RFID privacy threats you are trying to frustrate and know-how.
