Energy News  
Wireless World: Spychips Invading Privacy?

swallow it and sign here...

Chicago (UPI) Oct 7, 2005
Chips that track boxes on trucks and ships soon may be sophisticated enough to monitor every move of consumers, a controversial new book claims.

Experts told UPI's Wireless World that radio frequency identification technology -- mentioned as a potential privacy-invading technology by Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., during last month's confirmation hearings for Supreme Court Justice John Roberts -- is emerging as a political and legal issue, not just a technological one.

The new book, "Spychips: How Major Corporations and the Government Plan to Track Your Every Move with RFID" (Nelson Current, October 2005), is written by Katherine Albrecht and Liz McIntyre, privacy advocates who have been investigating the impact of RFID technology.

"Police will be able to track your every move when you drive," McIntyre told Wireless World.

McIntyre's book claims RFID chips -- which emit a signal and can be tracked by special reader technologies -- are the "ultimate Big Brother."

The book reports a major technology company is developing a "person tracking unit" that can scan RFID tags on the clothing of individuals as they travel on the train or through the shopping mall. The book also states another firm, a mobile-phone developer, is putting together a phone that can scan people as they walk by on the sidewalk. There are also plans in the works at major companies to use RFID to develop and deploy targeted advertising on individuals, the authors assert.

Some experts are skeptical, however. The book hypes fears and the public needs to hear an "independent voice of reason" on the topic of RFID chips, said a spokeswoman for EPCglobal Inc. in Lawrenceville, N.J., a non-profit organization that promotes wireless chip technology.

There is "a lot of misinformation and misleading stuff that is in that book," she added.

The spokeswoman added that many major corporations are using RFID to improve productivity, and the government is using it for passports and other security measures. The industry is also "developing the technical standards upon which the network is based that Wal-Mart, the Defense Department, Target and others are all mandating their suppliers use," the EPCglobal spokeswoman said.

Moreover, the industry is moving to address any privacy concerns consumers may have about the technology. The Association for Automatic Identification and Mobility, an industry group in Warrendale, Pa., this week released a white paper urging continued protection of consumer privacy as RFID chip usage moves forward.

"AIM Global is dedicated to ensuring full compliance with all relevant personal privacy and security regulations and laws," said the paper, "AIM Global's RFID Position Statements."

In the long term, RFID also could speed up the process of importing goods into the United States. The Department of Homeland Security has started using RFID tags to locate freight trucks as they come cross the border with Canada, and the technology is being deployed to other land-entry points into the United States. Another use is RFID cards for those people who frequently cross the border into the country.

Congress is examining these technology developments, particularly now that the Pentagon and DHS are pushing RFID projects, and views them as useful for replacing video-surveillance methods.

Recently, the Senate Republican High Tech Task Force unveiled a list of 40 policy proposals, with RFID earning special attention in the category dealing with the group's plans for protecting privacy and e-commerce.

"Our policy platform reflects our desire to keep America at the forefront of technological advancement, and to encourage our country's most creative entrepreneurs," said Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., the task force's chairman.

Gene Koprowski is a 2005 Lilly Endowment Award Winner for his columns for UPI, for whom he covers networking and telecommunications. E-mail: [email protected]

Community
Email This Article
Comment On This Article

Related Links
SpaceDaily
Search SpaceDaily
Subscribe To SpaceDaily Express
Computer Chip Architecture, Technology and Manufacture
Nano Technology News From SpaceMart.com



Memory Foam Mattress Review
Newsletters :: SpaceDaily :: SpaceWar :: TerraDaily :: Energy Daily
XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News


Rice Researchers Gain New Insight Into Nanoscale Optics
Houston TX (SPX) Sep 15, 2005
New research from Rice University has demonstrated an important analogy between electronics and optics that will enable light waves to be coupled efficiently to nanoscale structures and devices.







  • Research Advances Understanding Of How Hydrogen Fuel Is Made
  • U.S. Army Exhibits Successful Fuel Cell
  • Heated Energy Debate In Germany
  • DOE Publishes Roadmap For New Biological Research For Energy Needs

  • China Aims To Operate 'Super-Efficient' Nuclear Reactor In 2010
  • Armenia Chooses France's Areva To Build New Nuclear Waste Facility
  • Britain Could Be Receptive To Boost In Nuclear Power: Minister
  • Leaked Report Alleges Safety Problems At British Nuclear Plant: Newspaper

  • Getting To The TOPP Of Houston's Air Pollution
  • Scientists Seek Sprite Light Source



  • Defeating The 'Superpests'
  • Crop Scientists Improve "Supergrain" For Impoverished Farmers
  • Gourmet Space Dinner On Greenland Icecap
  • Sophisticated Forecasts Help India's Farmers Survive Patchy Monsoon

  • Motorists To Pay 'Congestion' Charge Over Broader Swath Of London
  • Solar Cars Driving Towards A Hydrogen Future
  • Mapflow And DTO Announce Dublin Satellite Tolling Study
  • German Car Makers Scramble To Jump On Hybrid Engine Bandwagon

  • Boeing Awarded Common Bomber Mission Planning Enterprise Contract
  • Capability Assessment Helps AF Prepare For Future
  • NGC Awards International Contracts For F-35 Joint Strike Fighter
  • Nigeria To Buy Fighter Planes From China

  • NASA plans to send new robot to Jupiter
  • Los Alamos Hopes To Lead New Era Of Nuclear Space Tranportion With Jovian Mission
  • Boeing Selects Leader for Nuclear Space Systems Program
  • Boeing-Led Team to Study Nuclear-Powered Space Systems

  • The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2006 - SpaceDaily.AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA PortalReports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additionalcopyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement