Europeans fear RFID data leaks

Posted on 16 Oct 2006 at 18:01

Europeans are worried that they will lose control of their information once the use of RFID tags becomes widespread, according to EC Member of the European Commission responsible for Information Society and Media, Viviane Reding.

At a conference today, the Commissioner delivered the results of a public consultation into how the EU should handle the growth of RFID and explained that new legislation will be needed in order to mandate that RFID tags are used with respect for public privacy concerns.

'The consultation shows that people are mainly afraid of losing control; of not being able to choose when and how they are exposed to risks,' said Reding. 'Privacy enhancing technologies should be given a higher prominence where the risks demand it, 70 per cent of respondents to this question thought this important. For example, clear labelling of tags or the option to disable or destroy them electronically will be an important part of our protective armour ... The consultation shows that people are mainly afraid of losing control; of not being able to choose when and how they are exposed to risks.'

She said that while some of these fears are unfounded, others are very real, and must be measured against the benefits that RFID tags offer.

She added: 'If we want to capture the advantages of RFID: we will have to make sure that we have the right set of European rules for a safe and secure development of the "Internet of things" and "of people", based on transparency and choice.'

The EU estimates that some 1 trillion RFID tags will be in use by 2015, employed in all manner of industries and uses, from 24-hour patient monitoring to livestock management, supply chain management and the remote monitoring of key components in systems such as aircraft.

The EU describes the age of RFID tags as the 'Internet of things', where inanimate objects are digitally enabled, identifiable and can talk to the Internet.

Reding said that the response to the call for public comments on the topic had been impressive, with 2,190 respondents having filled out the EU questionnaire on the subject.

Author: Matt Whipp