Will RFID enable companies to keep track of what consumers buy?What information is stored on an EPC tags?Can RFID tags in consumer products be deactivated before the customer leaves the store?Can RFID tags be reactivated?How big are RFID tags?Can RFID tags be hidden in consumer products?Can RFID tags be sewn into clothing?Can RFID be embedded in money?What kind of data do companies want to collect?Why are companies so keen to use RFID if it is not to gain more information on consumers?Will governments be able to use RFID to spy on people?Are there laws governing the use of RFID?In the future, is it possible that a criminal could scan the EPCs on watches, jewelry and other items to choose whom to rob?Will governments be able to use RFID to spy on people?Can RFID tags be read from satellites?From how far away can a typical RFID tag be read?Could a criminal build an illegal, high-powered reader and scan all the items in homes to choose which ones to rob?A newspaper ran a story about a smart shelf test in which Wal-Mart and Procter & Gamble infringed people's privacy. Is that true?Why did Wal-Mart and Procter & Gamble keep the test secret?Is it true Benetton plans to put RFID tags in all the clothes it makes?Are consumers using RFID today?
Are there any consumer benefits to RFID? Or do all the benefits go to the companies that use it?
What is RFID Journal's position on RFID and privacy?
If you have a privacy question that is not addressed by these FAQs, please send e-mail to
editor@rfidjournal.com.
Will RFID enable companies to keep track of what consumers buy?
There are very few items with RFID tags in them today, so it is not clear exactly what information companies will collect. But it's likely that any information companies collect using RFID will be similar to what they glean today when consumers buy items using a credit card or a loyalty card. It's envisioned that the packaging of products will have an RFID tag that contains an Electronic Product Code—a unique serial number that identifies the manufacturer, product type and a series of numbers that identifies that unique item. Companies will use this number to track products through the supply chain. It's important to be able to tell one carton of milk from another in the supply chain because they have different expiry dates. But there is little benefit to knowing which specific items customers by. Companies want to know the types of items people buy, so they can sell those customers other items that match their taste. Companies can already get this information from barcodes. Back to Top
What information is stored on RFID tags?
The tags most companies are planning to use in the supply chain in the short term and in consumer packaging in the long term will contain only an Electronic Product Code—a unique serial number that identifies the manufacturer, product type and a series of numbers that identifies that unique item. The EPC will be associated with data in online databases. Some information about the item might be accessible to anyone—such as what the product is—but other information, such as where it was made and when—will be accessible only to those whom the manufacturer wants to make the information available to. So Wal-Mart will not have access to data about products sold by Target and vice versa. Back to Top
Can RFID tags in consumer products be deactivated before the customer leaves the store?
Yes. This is known as the ÒkillÓ command. The reader sends a code to the tag which turns it off permanently. When RFID systems are fully deployed in stores and most products have RFID tags in their packaging (this won't happen for at least 10 to 15 years), each checkout counter will likely have an RFID reader that can kill the tags. In the mean time, companies will likely place kiosks near the exits of stores, so consumers who wish to can kill the tags. Products will have symbols indicating that the package contains a tags and retailers may remove the tags at the time of checkout if consumers want them removed. Back to Top
Can tags be reactivated?
EPCglobal, the nonprofit organization that is developing standards for the use of EPC technology, has stipulated that all EPC tags should have a feature that enables them to be rendered permanently inoperably by the kill command. This is to prevent anyone from reactivating a tag and using it to track a person without their knowledge. It's always possible that a design flaw is discovered which enables someone to reactivate a tag. No such flaw is known to exist at this time. Back to Top
How big are RFID tags?
RFID tags range in size from the size of a grain of pepper to the size of a brick. The size depends on whether the tag uses a battery to broadcast a signal or simply reflects a signal back from the reader. The other factor is the size of the antenna. As the antenna gets smaller the read range decreases. Back to Top
Can RFID tags be hidden in consumer products?
RFID tags can be read through non-metallic packaging so they can be embedded in products and product packaging. However, it's unlikely that companies would try to hide tags in their products, since these would be easy to discover. A consumer could use a reader to locate the tag. Back to Top
Can RFID tags be sewn into clothing?
Yes. A number of companies make RFID tags encased in protective plastic. These tags are designed for use in the laundry and uniform rental business. The tags used are typically 13.56 MHz tags, which have a read range of less than 3 feet (1 meter). Today, there is no way to embed a tag that is undetectable to the consumer into clothes. Companies that are testing RFID systems for tracking clothes in the supply chain are putting the RFID transponder on a hangtag that the consumer cuts off before wearing the item. Back to Top
Can RFID be embedded in money?
It's possible but so far, no country has used RFID tags in this way. Hitachi, the Japanese high-technology company, has developed a very tiny RFID chip, called the mu-chip, designed to help governments prevent the counterfeiting of passports, securities and other documents. There have been reports that the European Union and Japan are considering embedding these chips in large bills, but officials of the EU Bank and the Bank of Japan told RFID Journal that they had no plans to use RFID in bills as of mid-2004. Even if it is technically possible, it's not clear that the benefits would outweigh the huge costs of the infrastructure needed to make RFID an effective anti-counterfeiting tool. Also, there would likely be strong opposition from privacy advocates (as well as companies that do business mostly in cash). Back to Top
What kind of data do companies want to collect?
Companies are interested in using RFID in the supply chain. The main goal is to use it to make sure they have products on the shelves when companies want to buy them. It's envisioned that "smart shelves"—shelves with RFID readers in them—will alert staff when inventory is running low. There is also hope that RFID can be used to reduce theft by alerting staff when there is unusual shelf activity—such as when someone grabs a dozen tubes of lipstick or razors. Back to Top
Why are companies so keen to use RFID if it is not to gain more information on consumers?
RFID could dramatically improve efficiency in the supply chain and reduce waste. If it can reduce the times products are not on the shelf when consumers want to buy they, it could also increase sales. Back to Top
Are there laws governing the use of RFID?
Most countries have not passed laws governing the use of RFID specifically. In many cases, existing privacy laws cover the use of data collected by RFID systems, as well as barcodes and other systems. Some U.S. states have considered enacting new laws that deal with issues particular to RFID, such as the surreptitious scanning of RFID tags by retailers or people with criminal intent. Back to Top
In the future, is it possible that a criminal could scan the EPCs on watches, jewelry and other items to choose whom to rob?
It's not clear whether RFID tags will ever be used on these items. Companies may simply use them in the packaging of these items. People who buy valuable items will also have the option to kill the tag in these items. But if a company did embed a tag in a watch and a consumer chose not to kill the tag, it would be possible to scan the RFID tag on the item from close range (the tag would have to have a very small antenna to be embedded in a watch, which means the read range would be less than a foot). The criminal would have to know that the serial number contained on the tags are associated with high-value products. Back to Top
Will governments be able to use RFID to spy on people?
If companies choose to put RFID tags in clothes and items consumers carry around, such as wallets, and consumers choose not to kill the tags in these items, it might be possible for governments to use RFID tags for surveillance. But they would have to have access to the database of information related to the tags' EPCs, and it would be easy for individuals to avoid being tracked. RFID readers must emit radio waves to read tags. The signals from a reader can easily be detected and blocked. Back to Top
Can RFID tags be read from satellites?
Passive RFID tags, the kind companies are talking about using one day on consumer products, can't be read from more than 20 feet or so. Active RFID tags, which use a battery to broadcast a signal and are used on cargo containers and other large assets, could be read from a satellite if there is little RF "noise" (ambient RF energy that causes interference) and the broadcasted signal is powerful enough. Back to Top
From how far away can a typical RFID tag be read?
The distance from which a tag can be read is call it's read range. Read range depends on a number of factors, including the frequency of the radio waves uses for tag-reader communication, the size of the tag antenna, the power output of the reader, and whether the tags have a battery to broadcast a signal or gather energy from a reader and merely reflect a weak signal back to the reader. Battery-powered tags typically have a read range of 300 feet (100 meters). These are the kinds of tags used in toll collection systems. High-frequency tags, which are often used in smart cards, have a read range of three feet or less. UHF tags—the kind used on pallets and cases of goods in the supply chain—have a read range of 20 to 30 feet under ideal conditions. If the tags are attached to products with water or metal, the read range can be significantly less. If the size of the UHF antenna is reduced, that will also dramatically reduce the read range. Increasing the power output could increase the range, but most governments restrict the output of readers so that they don't interfere with other RF devices, such as cordless phones. Back to Top
Could a criminal build an illegal, high-powered reader and scan all the items in homes to choose which ones to rob?
That's very unlikely. For a reader to read passive tags through the walls of a home from the street, the power output would have to be so high that the popcorn in the cupboard would start popping. In addition, the criminal would obtain only a string of serial numbers, which might have no meaning unless it were a truly sophisticated criminal with access to EPC databases. And looking in windows would probably be a cheaper and more effective way of figuring out whether there are items in a house worth stealing. Back to Top
A newspaper ran a story about a smart shelf test in which Wal-Mart and Procter & Gamble infringed people's privacy. Is that true?
No. Wal-Mart and Procter & Gamble were testing a "smart shelf"—a shelf with RFID readers built into it—to see whether it could warn when the shelves would be out of stock of a particular shade of lipstick. A camera was used to verify the level of inventory on shelves. The shelf was not connected to a database and no information was collected on shoppers. Back to Top
Why did Wal-Mart and Procter & Gamble keep the test secret?
The companies were testing technology that could provide significant commercial benefits in a few years. They did not want to tip off their competitors to what they were doing. Back to Top
Is it true Benetton plans to put RFID tags in all the clothes it makes?
No. Benetton has been testing the use of RFID in its supply chain. The company says it has no plans to put tags in clothing at this time. Back to Top
Are consumers using RFID today? Back to Top
Yes. Millions of consumers carry around an RFID tag in their pocket or purse everyday. Many cars made after 1994 use an RFID tag in the key and a reader in the steering column; the car won't start unless the RFID tag matches the serial number the reader has been programmed to receive. This has dramatically reduced car theft. The ExxonMobil Speedpass uses RFID to make it easier to pay for gas. A keychain fob with a small RFID transponder containing a unique serial number is matched to the customer's credit card, so when a customer waves the fob near a reader in the pump, their credit card is billed automatically. Nearly 7 million people in the United States use Speedpass to pay for gas. Millions of people around the world pay road tolls using an RFID transponder on their windshield. And millions of workers around the world gain access to their office building by using an RFID access control card. Back to Top
Are there any consumer benefits to RFID? Or do all the benefits go to the companies that use it?
There are many consumer benefits. Greater efficiency in the supply chain will reduce costs and improve efficiencies. Companies will pass some of these savings on to consumers to try to gain market share from less efficient competitors. RFID could be used by retailers to expedite returns and by manufacturers to manage warrantee claims and improve after-sales support of items such as computers and DVD players. RFID could also reduce the counterfeiting of pharmaceutical drugs and insure the integrity of products purchased by consumers. And RFID could be used to secure the food supply and prevent terrorists from sneaking weapons of mass destruction into a country through shipping containers. Back to Top
What is RFID Journal's position on RFID and privacy?
Our editorial position is that consumers should be notified when products contain RFID tags and when RFID readers are being used to read tags, such as in a retail store. We believe consumers should have the choice to buy goods without RFID tags or with tags that have been killed, and consumers should be notified about what data is being collected on them and how it should be used. We think this is not only the right thing to do; it is also good business. We believe the key to protecting consumer privacy is education. If consumers understand what RFID is, how it can and can't be used, the benefits it provides and how it could be abused, they will make intelligent choices about what they are willing to accept, and companies will respond to their concerns or risk losing customers. Back to Top
If you have a privacy question that is not addressed by these FAQs, please send e-mail to editor@rfidjournal.com.
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