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Keeping Tabs On RFID

Perhaps bravely sticking its neck out is apparel maker Lauren Scott, which is planning next spring to introduce children's P.J.s with built-in RFID tags so that parents can track their kid's whereabouts. Of course they will have to do more than just buy the pajamas. They will have to invest $500 into a related home-installed system required to make use of the technology, and can sign up to include information about their children in a database operated by Scott's technology partner, SmartWear Technologies, Inc. SmartWear's website, which says it is focused on using RFID in "anti-abduction and missing person applications," offers a scary montage of abducted and murdered children to drive home it's point, which is that RFID can help to protect children.

The jammie version of an electronic bracelet will be sold by Target, which has declined to talk about it.

Lauren Scott is not alone - there are car seats equipped with RFID tags that alert parents if the safety belt disengages, while growing numbers of amusement parks are offering RFID-impregnated wristbands that will enable parents to track members of their group anywhere inside the park grounds. Even hospitals are using the technology, to tag newborns in a bid to stop infant abductions.

I can not imagine a safer or more positive entry into the market for RFID technology. Some parents will obviously welcome these options. The recent spate of widely publicized and very tragic abductions of young children from their homes is enough to strike fear into the hearts of anyone. Still others may be creeped out by the idea of electronically tagging their kids. The key here is informed choice.

To make sure everyone knows what they are buying, Lauren Scott and anyone selling the pajamas - Target for one - needs to turn a spotlight on the product display and make sure it's easily understood that these items come with security tags, the purpose of these RFID-studded items, what happens to the collected data, and how well protected it will be. Afterall, it's pretty clear the doors have been left open to databases across the country. If it's a good thing, then get it out in the open and do so in simple terms.

More unappealing is where this "social" use of RFID is likely to go. One analyst who recently spoke with InformationWeek ticked off a range of examples, none of which seem designed to benefit you! Tags built-into cars can be used to guarantee you a ticket if you overstay the meter, or change your tolls based on whether you travel during peak or off hours. Yep - the margin of safety afforded by chance is about to go the way of check float. Laptops, library books, lift tickets, you name it - if you can borrow it or use it and take it with you, it will probably wind up tagged, whether you like it or not. This in turn will create a large collection of data about just what it is you do with your time - where you go and when, what you read, watch and do. And for how long. And there is no reason to assume that this data won't end up categorized, collected, traded and sold in much the same way your financial data is today. Why would it be any different?

That's the useage that I find creepy. It just smacks too much of Big Brother without any real benefit to the person whose activities and whereabouts are being tracked. (There's no doubt about the payoff for the businesses, municipalities and government agencies involved here.) So sure, let's welcome the opportunity for parents to better safeguard their children, but let's keep a vigilant eye on where RFID spreads from here. Let's keep the conversation going, and the useage of RFID out in the open.

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