While this store has claimed in its brochures that deactivated kiosk located at store exists overwritten and could be read days later and hundreds of kilometers away from the store with an inexpensive RFID reader purchased over the Internet. Furthermore, payback cards distributed at this store to give discounts and rewards to frequent customer that contained embedded RFID tags that can transmit the identity of the owner to readers up to five feet away even if the card is in a wallet or pocketbook.
Information Security
Because RFID tags transmit data using radio signals, concern arises from the possibility of these signals being intercepted by a third party. A tag intended to send bank account information to scanners at the local grocery store might instead be signaled by a thief with his or her own scanner. While it can be argued that any information can potentially be stolen, this situation is particularly dangerous because the information can be accessed in public without alerting the owner. Many RFID systems under development and in use currently implement encryption algorithms to help protect sensitive data. However, some groups are concerned data stored on RFID chips may still be susceptible to malicious activities. A couple of the encryption algorithms currently being used for RFID communications include RSA, NTRU. Not only would an eavesdropper need to be able to crack the encryption being used, they would first need to determine the frequency and protocol being used by the targeted tag.
Analysis of Social Impact
Below are some negative and positive impacts of RFID technology to our society:
First, Radio frequency is one of the technology that supermarket are already using in a number of places throughout the store. We now envision a day where consumers will walk into a store, select products whose packages are embedded with small radio frequency UPC Codes, and exit the store without ever going through a checkout line signing their name on a dotted line. This RFID technology also would expand marketers' ability to monitor individuals' behavior to undreamt of extremes. This technology also will help to lessen theft in stores. But the problem here is once you buy, assuming a RFID tagged jeans at the gap with RFID tagged money, walk out of the store wearing RFID tagged shoes and get into your car with its RFID tagged tires, you could be tracked anywhere you travel.
Bar codes are usually scanned at the store but not after purchase. But RFID transponders are, in many cases, forever part of the product, and designed to respond when they receive a signal. Imagine everything you own is numbered, identified, catalogue and tracked. it's possible to destroy a RFID tag. You can crush it, puncture it or microwave it but be careful of fires. Remember that you can't drown it and you can't demagnetize it. Washing RFID tagged clothes won't remove the chips, since they're specifically designed to withstand years of wearing, washing and drying. You could remove the chip from your jeans but you'd have to find it first.
Second, RFID technology can also be used maliciously. By hiding a tag in your clothes, someone could potentially track your movements and records information about you. This has caused significant anxiety for those who are concerned about privacy that has resulted in calls for RFID regulations laws.
Third, Visa is combining smart cards and RFID chips so people can conduct transactions without having to use cash or coins. These smart cards can also be incorporated into cell phones and other devices. Thus, you could pay for parking, buy a newspaper or grab a soda from a vending machine without opening your wallet. This is wonderfully convenient but the specter of targeted personal ads popping up as I walk through the mall a la Minority Report does not thrill me. One reason why is because other people that do not know or have a knowledge about that kind of technology can think of me as a theft in the mall because every time I do a transaction I do not pay any money but instead I just get it and go.
Future Impact of the Technology
RFID developers are still working and expanding the limitations of this technology. As this technology become smaller, less expensive and capable of sending signal over longer distance, more application is possible. In this section, we will explore some of the potential future functions or applications of RFID technology, this are:
RFID technology can be use in smart packaging.
Barcodes, the current standard for product identification may soon be replaced by RFID tags. A barcode is a...
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