How to Create an RFID Privacy Plan
Kill the tag. Zero it out. Encrypt the data. There are many ways to protect consumer privacy. But at this early stage, how do you do it in a way that reassures customers and doesn't limit the benefits of RFID?
May 26, 2003 - There are some technologies that consumers have an almost instinctive negative reaction to. Genetically engineered food may be sound science and good policy if done right, but most people feel that there's great potential for scary unintended consequences. RFID may not provoke quite as strong a reaction as "Frankenfood," but the concept of putting tracking devices in products does raise privacy concerns among many consumers.
If you're developing plans for an RFID pilot or initial deployment, consumer privacy is hardly your most pressing concern. You're probably struggling with standards, frequencies, RF interference, data management and many other practical considerations. And you may not have any plans to track consumer items for several years.
Nevertheless, if you make, move or sell consumer items, it's wise to begin formulating a privacy policy now. There are two reasons. First, you need to have good answers when a journalist calls asking not how you plan to use RFID but how you could use RFID. And second, privacy issues may be one factor in determining which hardware you choose. For instance, Benetton chose to use ISO-compliant technology, which does not feature a "kill switch." So Benetton could not inform the press that the tags would be permanently deactivated at checkout. On the other hand, you may not want or need a kill switch.
It's also important to understand that perception is reality. You may be running a supply chain pilot and have no plans to track customer purchases. But that's not the issue. The issue is how your plans are interpreted or portrayed in the press. Unless you have a convincing story to tell journalists, the media and consumers are likely to assume the worst about your companies' intentions.
The Auto-ID Center hired a consumer research firm to test the reaction of consumers around the world to the idea of tracking items with EPC tags. The center found, in almost all places, that consumer attitudes were neutral to negative toward RFID, and that opinion makers, including journalists, were not likely to embrace the technology. The center's report says that consumers and journalists in the US "are unlikely to believe that the network will not be abused and will look for regulations and controls for reassurance."
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| An RFID focus group (Photo courtesy of the Auto-ID Center) |
If you're developing plans for an RFID pilot or initial deployment, consumer privacy is hardly your most pressing concern. You're probably struggling with standards, frequencies, RF interference, data management and many other practical considerations. And you may not have any plans to track consumer items for several years.
Nevertheless, if you make, move or sell consumer items, it's wise to begin formulating a privacy policy now. There are two reasons. First, you need to have good answers when a journalist calls asking not how you plan to use RFID but how you could use RFID. And second, privacy issues may be one factor in determining which hardware you choose. For instance, Benetton chose to use ISO-compliant technology, which does not feature a "kill switch." So Benetton could not inform the press that the tags would be permanently deactivated at checkout. On the other hand, you may not want or need a kill switch.
It's also important to understand that perception is reality. You may be running a supply chain pilot and have no plans to track customer purchases. But that's not the issue. The issue is how your plans are interpreted or portrayed in the press. Unless you have a convincing story to tell journalists, the media and consumers are likely to assume the worst about your companies' intentions.
The Auto-ID Center hired a consumer research firm to test the reaction of consumers around the world to the idea of tracking items with EPC tags. The center found, in almost all places, that consumer attitudes were neutral to negative toward RFID, and that opinion makers, including journalists, were not likely to embrace the technology. The center's report says that consumers and journalists in the US "are unlikely to believe that the network will not be abused and will look for regulations and controls for reassurance."
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