Privacy concerns mount over retail use of RFID technology

RFID - The next big thing in the AutoID industry, but some major hurdles need to be overtaken first. "Park Ridge, Ill. - Engineers and consumer advocates are pushing suppliers and corporate retailers to take a harder look at privacy concerns related to the use of radio frequency identification technology. Noting that such issues could undermine RFID's enormous potential, engineers at a recent RFID Privacy Workshop at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology called for implementation of "powerful and flexible privacy mechanisms." ... ... calls for high-tech intervention have put backers of RFID technology on the defensive, as consumer groups and the media press for safeguards. ..." The RFID revolution will affect the consumer in one form or fashion - not even related to the security issues. I'm talking about the cost of the RFID tag. The cost of RFID tags will funnel into higher cost of the goods to which the tags are attached - at least at first - until the cost of tags goes down. The main type of tags that will have the most affect (b/c Walmart & the US Defense Dept are using them) is the "868-956Mhz" range tags. Now. If only Smart cards get more widely used. For some reason their adoption is slow going.