Misconceptions on RFID

Read this Article. If you're lazy skip it, and read what I have to say. :)

If you've been paying any attention to changes coming in the tech industry, I'm sure you've heard of RFID tags. If not, what they are are small circuits which are powered by radio waves (no battery needed). They can store small amounts of data, currently a few bytes worth, less than the amount of space needed to store this sentence. Think of them as bar codes, only you don't need to point a laser at them to read them. Just get close enough to them with your RFID reader, and you can grab the data. Recently, several companies have tried testing out these devices for several purposes. Wal-Mart is requiring all cartons and pallets to be shipped with an RFID tag to identify what is in the container. This makes inventory tracking amazingly simple. Instead of employees having to scan in boxes, it can all be automated, eliminating human errors. Several books I've recently purchased had an RFID sticker in them, to prevent shoplifting at the store.

Several other companies have tried using the tags to replace UPCs, these have been so throughly protested by people who don't know jack that the companies have been canceling their trial before it finishes. People are afraid that companies will use them inappropriately, tracking everything they buy and use. I've got news for those people--THEY ALREADY DO THAT! Credit Card companies can tell you exactly where you spent your money. Ever been to Best Buy? Use a Credit Card there? You can take something back to a completely different store, and they can tell you where you bought it, when and for how much. They know every item you buy. That Kroger card? They track every purchase made with it, so they know what products are selling in what geographical areas. They probably can tell me exactly how much soda I've purchased over the last 4 years.

RFID tags aren't evil, people afraid of new technologies, and not realizing how they can be limited are evil.

Also, companies must use them responsibly.
Quote from article:
"But companies that are pushing RFID tags into our lives should adopt rules of conduct: There should be an absolute ban on hidden tags and covert readers. Tags should be "killed" when products are sold to consumers. And this technology should never be used to secretly unmask the identity of people who wish to remain anonymous."