RFID. Science Fiction or the Future?

Imagine that you're at the supermarket to do a little shopping. Your cart is full and its time to check out. You push your cart past the checkout counter and the objects in your cart are automatically scanned and calculated within seconds. Your debit/credit card is also scanned and processed, allowing you pay without ever reaching for your wallet.

You walk to the nearby subway station to take the train home. You enter the station without ever having to display your pass. You drop off your groceries and head to the library. You choose the books that you wish to borrow, and as you pass the information desk, your books are automatically scanned without you ever having to lift a finger.

You then head off to work at a nearby retail store. You have been assigned to do product inventory. You grab a hand-held device and wave it up and down the isles of the store. Within minutes the inventory for the entire store has been read and calculated.

Does this sound like something out of science fiction?

If you have not heard of it yet, you will soon. RFID, or Radio Frequency Identification is an identification method, which allows users to store and retrieve information automatically using radio waves. Although it has been around for quite some time, over the past several years, RFID has become more and more popular.

It is thought that eventually, RFID will replace the barcode. Although others think that the use of RFID will become widespread, its replacement of the barcode is unlikely due to various reasons.

Massive amounts of information can be stored on a tiny RFID chip or tag. The tag is then attached to the desired object, and the information can then be read from a reader or antenna, that can be a few inches, or several feet away from the tag.

There are three types of RFID tags: active, passive, and semi-passive.

Passive tags do not have an internal power supply. Thus they are only activated when they are within range of a reader, which powers them. Because they do not have a battery, the radio frequency is reflected back to the reader, allowing the tag to be read. They are often very small, and can be embedded into stickers, which can be placed onto a variety of objects. These types of tags can also be imbedded into humans or animals.

Semi-passive tags have an internal power source, but the tag does not produce a signal. As with passive tags, the radio frequency is reflected back to the reader, allowing the tag to be read.

Active tags are often larger than the passive and semi-passive, and contain an internal power supply, or battery. They are often more reliable, and can be read at great distances. Some even have a sensor that can monitor the temperature of the product, which is ideal for monitoring perishable goods.

The antennas that scan or read the tags often vary in size, structure, frequency and distance needed from the intended tag being read.

Although some of the above fictional scenario is something that is currently a thought for the future, RFID tags are being used in a number of ways, which are only continuing to grow.

RFID tags are currently being used in passports, public transit cards (remember the scenario?), product and cargo tracking, automobiles, animal tracking and identification, product inventory, libraries, schools, hospitals to keep track of patients, prisons to keep track of inmates, and in some countries, they are even being implanted into humans. Later, they will be used in U.S. dollars and Euros to prevent against counterfeiting.

In 2004, the FDA approved the first chips to be used in the USA for human implantation. Currently, the chips are being used in hospitals to control workflow and inventory. However, it has been proposed that the chips be used to identify patients and allow hospital staff to access medical records. Such chips would be extremely beneficial in emergency situation where medical records and confidential information are needed immediately in order to save a life.

In regards to the potential uses of RFID, there are some concerns and potential risks associated with the use of RFID. One such risk is that because the tags are not universally regulated, it may be possible that someone could attain a reader and use it for identity theft, or various other forms of fraud. Other concerns are the illicit tracking of RFID tags implanted in consumer products.

Viruses or bugs are another concern. Just like computer bugs, if a bug or virus were to infect the RFID reader, it could seriously affect the reading of the tags and the ability to obtain information from the tags.

Encryption codes on the chips are another concern with RFID tags. Because they are placed in passports, which contain confidential information, if the encryption is broken, confidential information can be stolen and cloned.

There are currently various research institutions that are performing ongoing tests and developing ways in which to reduce the risk of such instances. There are currently several methods being used to shield the data and prevent RFID data interception.

As with most new forms of technology, there is some resistance and controversy from some members of society regarding the use of RFID.

Privacy is an extremely important issue. This is mostly because the RFID tags found in consumer products remain functional, even after they have been purchased and taken from the store. Many are suspicious of the surveillance potential on consumers due to this. However, this is unlikely due to the distance needed between the reader and the tag. Once the tag is carried out of range of the reader, it can no longer be read. Currently, RFID readers cannot read over long distances, therefore, once a product is purchase, the reader cannot "track" the item several miles away to another location. However, because of the issues and controversy, most products now contain RFID tags that can be cut off or removed after the products have been purchased.

Tag eavesdropping, detection, and interception are other privacy issues currently being addressed. Due to the many uses of RFID, many find the threat of eavesdropping and interception a great concern. There have been certain occasions where RFID has been used in store shelves to determine when items are removed from the shelf. Then the item can be tracked, to determine if the item is eventually purchased in order to track shoplifting and theft. In another instance, some "customer loyalty cards" in Germany have been determined to contain RFID tags, which contained personal data information about the consumer. They are also being used in certain security cards and VIP pass-cards, which contain confidential information about the cardholder.

Another issue concerning the use of RFID is human implantation. This use provokes concerns regarding the tag being "tracked", or the information on the tag being hacked and stolen or cloned.

Although RFID has been around since the 1970's at the latest, the use and technology used in regards to RFID is still fairly new. Our world is becoming more and more dependent upon computers and electronic devices to aid us in our daily lives.

As these concerns and issues regarding RFID are being smoothed out, we will begin to see and hear the increasing use of RFID as a way to make our world a safer and more efficient place to live.