Irresponsible Reporting on RFID

While I understand that it's difficult to be open-minded, I don't know why more journalists don't make a concerted effort to be objective. NewsHour's bias clearly shows in its follow-up article. I "allege" things, while Paget "says" them. He is given a chance to respond to my comments about his original on-air claims, but I was not offered the opportunity to respond to his reply. The follow-up article amounts to this: Mark Roberti says Chris Paget's claims are false, and Paget says no, they are not.

In the eight years that we have covered RFID, we have reported on the technology as objectively as possible. We have reported on privacy concerns, and have never denied or trivialized the issue. If RFID is ever abused, we will report it. (As a consumer, I think it's important to respect people's privacy, but it's also a good business policy, and I often explain why in my editorials.)

I believe accurate reporting is very important to any society, because without it, people can't make good decisions. Therefore, I welcome those who raise legitimate security and privacy issues, as it's important for the RFID industry to address them. It's also vital for consumers to understand what the technology is and does, and what potential risks it might pose to their privacy, so that they can decide, for instance, whether they want to purchase items that have tags in them. What I can't abide are people who try to make every issue about RFID a huge one (see Academic Navel Gazing Continues).

An intelligent discussion serves the interests of everyone. But an intelligent discussion means being objective about both the potential positive impacts of a new technology, as well as the potential negative effects. I pointed out to Kathrine Albrecht, the founder of CASPIAN and a well-known RFID opponent, that there was not a single positive use of RFID mentioned in her 300-page book, Spychips. She responded that it was not her job to point out the positive uses. I found that odd. How can you claim to be acting in the best interests of consumers if you don't tell them how this new technology might benefit them? How does that help them make smart decisions?

Those who expose legitimate problems related to privacy and security benefit the RFID industry by raising issues that must be addressed. To the industry's credit, it is addressing them. New chips from Impinj and NXP Semiconductors have additional privacy protection, such as the ability to mask a tag's serial number and limit its read range. And working groups are developing a standard for encryption on UHF tags, which will help secure data stored on PASS cards and driver's licenses (which currently use tags without any security). But NewsHour and other news organizations don't report these facts. As a result, readers of mass-media publications or viewers of television news are being fed an inaccurate view of the technology.

In my view, that is the greatest sin a journalist can commit.

Mark Roberti is the founder and editor of RFID Journal. If you would like to comment on this article, click on the link below. To read more of Mark's opinions, visit the RFID Journal Blog or the Editor's Note archive.