Comment: A time to welcome RFID chips

By Paul Trotter

Posted on 8 Sep 2006 at 12:32

The grand plan is to try to find out how Europe can 'improve the quality of life of its citizens, while safeguarding their basic rights, and in particular their privacy'.

The RFID business is worth billions, and another of Brussels' triumvirate of governing institutions, the EU, is set to spend €7.5 million over the next few years to promote the technology. The money is expected to help build an organisation formed of a collection of manufacturers, businesses and universities that will be given a remit to increase the technology's use.

So, even if you've taken an indifferent view of RFID in the past, now is the time to start forming an educated opinion. It's likely the chips will increasingly be found in all sorts of goods, IT equipment included, and the sensible sceptic will consider the benefits as well as the Big Brother connotations. So add your own key ingredient to those scaremongering news stories - a pinch of salt - because RFID isn't the work of sinister snoopers and could significantly improve things for us.

If it doesn't, I'll eat my tin-foil hat.