Close
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Applications
    • Applications
    • IT Management
    • Mobile

    RFID Fears Create Their Own Market

    By
    Evan Schuman
    -
    December 24, 2005
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      Like a counterintelligence officer or an anti-spyware company, some entities in life have the sole raison dêtre of countering something else.

      RFID (radio-frequency identification) today is an unstoppable supply chain force and even the most fervent privacy advocates concede that.

      But as retailers and manufacturers continue to toy with ways to use RFID in both the shopping lane and the warehouse, those privacy advocates are going to try to find ways to minimize what they see as the technologys intrusiveness.

      In the book “Spychips” (see eWEEKs review), the authors use company memos and Web site documents to argue that consumers might be tracked in a wide range of ways.

      And retailers are fighting the desire to gather more sophisticated and usable CRM (customer relationship management) data for fear of the possible backlash from privacy advocates.

      This state of affairs prompted one Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute grad student to use some simple ingredients to craft an RFID-proof wallet.

      Dustin Kirks creation is not the most attractive wallet in the world, but all it needs is a thin layer of fabric and you have the start of a wide range of products whose sole purpose is thwarting RFID tracking at the customer level.

      The wallet is just one avenue. What about a device for a shopping cart that deflects or confuses any RFID inquiries, sort of like torpedo countermeasures for the shopping aisle? Or perhaps a room-wide device to prevent household snooping?

      /zimages/4/28571.gifIs RFID is ready for item-level deployment yet? Click here to read more.

      When it comes to consumer confidence, were engaged in a clear perception—as opposed to reality—battle. Even if no retailers ever decide to use RFID for tracking products or credit cards that consumers are carrying, the fact that they could theoretically do so is enough to cut confidence.

      Lets extend that perception versus reality issue: The fact that retailers and manufacturers might not even be able to do many of these things is irrelevant. If consumers can be made to believe it can be done, reality is an ineffective defense.

      This is triply true when there is a financial incentive for some to encourage those fears.

      Today, the only active opposition to RFIDs expanding potential uses comes from privacy supporters. Whether or not that group is acting altruistically is an open question, but the fact that they are generally poorly funded is not. Poorly funded players rarely have the kind of political and industry clout needed to stop technology moves, although they can slow them down.

      But if a cottage industry crops up for devices that can make money off of privacy fears, the dynamics could change.

      The shield technology itself is quite simple, as any retail security officer who has arrested a shoplifter armed only with a purse lined with aluminum foil knows.

      What implication does this have for the retail IT executive dealing with RFID implementation questions for 2006? Ignore privacy considerations at your own peril.

      /zimages/4/28571.gifTo read more about whether RFID can be made tamper-proof, click here.

      Do not comfort yourself with a truth defense. As I said, even if youre not planning on doing anything intrusive, that wont help as long as consumers believe that you have the ability to do so.

      Some of the most damaging stories out today involve RFID pioneers who have experimented with consumer tracking and then denied it. Their reasoning may have made sense to them at the time, but the net effect is to cast doubt on honest retailers who pledge to use RFID only for supply chain help.

      Does all of this mean that billions of RFID-defying wallets like Dustin Kirks will start flooding Amazon.com?

      Probably not. But for the moment, its probably not a bad idea to keep RFID focused on the pallet, not the wallet.

      Evan Schuman is retail editor for Ziff Davis Internets Enterprise Edit group. He has tracked high-tech issues since 1987, has been opinionated long before that and doesnt plan to stop anytime soon. He can be reached at Evan_Schuman@ziffdavis.com.

      /zimages/4/28571.gifCheck out eWEEK.coms for the latest news, views and analysis on technologys impact on retail.

      Evan Schuman
      Evan Schuman is the editor of CIOInsight.com's Retail industry center. He has covered retail technology issues since 1988 for Ziff-Davis, CMP Media, IDG, Penton, Lebhar-Friedman, VNU, BusinessWeek, Business 2.0 and United Press International, among others. He can be reached by e-mail at Evan.Schuman@ziffdavisenterprise.com.
      Get the Free Newsletter!
      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
      This email address is invalid.
      Get the Free Newsletter!
      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
      This email address is invalid.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Latest News

      Zeus Kerravala on Networking: Multicloud, 5G, and...

      James Maguire - December 16, 2022 0
      I spoke with Zeus Kerravala, industry analyst at ZK Research, about the rapid changes in enterprise networking, as tech advances and digital transformation prompt...
      Read more
      Applications

      Datadog President Amit Agarwal on Trends in...

      James Maguire - November 11, 2022 0
      I spoke with Amit Agarwal, President of Datadog, about infrastructure observability, from current trends to key challenges to the future of this rapidly growing...
      Read more
      IT Management

      Intuit’s Nhung Ho on AI for the...

      James Maguire - May 13, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nhung Ho, Vice President of AI at Intuit, about adoption of AI in the small and medium-sized business market, and how...
      Read more
      Applications

      Kyndryl’s Nicolas Sekkaki on Handling AI and...

      James Maguire - November 9, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nicolas Sekkaki, Group Practice Leader for Applications, Data and AI at Kyndryl, about how companies can boost both their AI and...
      Read more
      Cloud

      IGEL CEO Jed Ayres on Edge and...

      James Maguire - June 14, 2022 0
      I spoke with Jed Ayres, CEO of IGEL, about the endpoint sector, and an open source OS for the cloud; we also spoke about...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2022 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×