The RFID technological revolution

In the future, shopping and household chores such as washing clothes could become effortless with the introduction of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology. But not before some big questions regarding privacy are answered, says German MEP Jorgo Chatzimarkakis. Mr C...

In the future, shopping and household chores such as washing clothes could become effortless with the introduction of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology. But not before some big questions regarding privacy are answered, says German MEP Jorgo Chatzimarkakis.

Mr Chatzimarkakis knows a thing or two about RFID. As a member the European Parliament's Scientific Technology Options Assessment (STOA) committee, over the last year he has been busy organising events to raise awareness of the RFID technological revolution. In an interview with CORDIS News, the MEP talks about the future of the technology and how it should be regulated to ensure our privacy and rights are safeguarded.

RFID tags are small microchips made out of plastic or even paper. Attached to an antenna, they emit a unique serial number by radio over short distances. These tags can be embedded in all kinds of consumer products and scanned from between 3 to 50 metres away, revealing information about the product.

The RFID industry is big business. Current trends and forecasts indicate that the market will grow fast in the next 10 years. Some 600 million tags were sold in 2005 alone, and the value of the market, including hardware, systems and services, is expected to multiply by 10 between now and 2016.

'RFID will make our lives faster, more reliable and safer,' Mr Chatzimarkakis told CORDIS News. 'The technology is already being used in a lot of circumstances and in a lot of applications, be it in public transport or for access to buildings.'

One of the most publicised and successful examples of RFID in action has been at the German retail group Metro's 'Future Store' in Rheinberg. The store is fitted with a number of smart technologies, including personal shopping assistants that can be clipped to trolleys and activated by a loyalty card. RFID chips have been added to a number of products on the shelves.

By typing in the product you are looking for, the assistant indicates on its screen the aisle where the product is located. Regular purchases come up on the favourites list, as well as shop promotions. Thanks to the RFID chips, staff are alerted when the shop's shelves need re-stocking or if the products are out of date.

'At the Metro store, you can choose to activate the RFID technology at the entrance of the store. On your way out of the store, there's a machine that destroys the RFID chips,' Mr Chatzimarkakis explained.

Another example is the Madejski Stadium in the UK, which calls itself a 'smart' stadium. It uses RFID tickets along with other information and communication technologies (ICT) applications. The ticket system not only provides access to the stadium, but also serves as a customer loyalty, payment, crowd control, security and direct marketing application.

There is also the Apenheul Zoo in the Netherlands, which offers an RFID tagged bag to visitors at the entrance. As visitors make their way around attractions, the tag allows the zoo management to track their movements. This has enabled the zoo to see which are the most popular attractions and redesign the park to provide an enhanced experience for visitors. The bag has also been useful to locate lost children.

RFID tags also play a huge role in European trade. 'Trade is done on the basis of cargo which is equipped with RFID chips,' explained the MEP.

Mr Chatzimarkakis claimed that RFID technology is evolving and reaching unprecedented levels of functionality. The 'Internet of Things' is becoming a reality, he said - the boundary between the physical world and the digital world is being deconstructed. It is estimated that by 2015 there will be 1 trillion sensors linking the physical and digital worlds.

But like any technological revolution, questions are raised about how RFID will affect our lives. In a recent public consultation on RFID, while the large majority of respondents accepted the potential benefits of RFID, the overriding message was that European citizens have concerns over privacy issues.

Not all services and products with RFID chips make use of or request personal data. 'Whereas if you go to a football stadium, your personal data will be transferred to the system and the club owner will be interested in knowing not only when you arrived or where you sat, but also how many sausages and beers you consumed.'

'In order not to have a 'Big Brother is watching you' vision of things, we have to do whatever we can to provide people with the ability to switch RFID off when it comes to personal data,' said Mr Chatzimarkakis.

'Information-self determination, that's the current buzzword in the RFID world. It means that if personal data gets in the game, you should be yourself in control of the data and be able to disconnect yourself from whatever application you want to use or not to use,' he added. To do so, though, means that products which have RFID tags should be clearly labelled and customers should be informed that they can deactivate them if they wish.

'People should be informed when RFID is use,' said the MEP. 'Because when they know it is in use, they see the direct benefits. When the technology is abstract, people are against it.'

Mr Chatzimarkakis likened the RFID technology to GSM technology, which can also track the whereabouts of individuals. 'But tell me one person who doesn't have a mobile phone? Why? Because people see the benefits. And if benefits are higher than the personal perception of threat, then people will accept it,' he told CORDIS News.

The challenge for European policy-makers will be to come up with concrete scenarios and to demonstrate the high range of benefits that RFID yields for people. An EU funded pilot project hoping to fight pharmaceutical counterfeiting using RFID is expected to get underway soon to do just that, said the MEP.

Another challenge will be to develop a framework to regulate the use of RFID. Although Europe has a very successful data protection regulatory framework, no regulations exist yet on the use of RFID technology, noted the MEP.

Mr Chatzimarkakis expects that the European Commission's forthcoming communication will tackle matters of personal data protection. It will also make proposals on harmonising existing EU and non-EU standardisation and interoperability. Mr Chatzimarkakis believes that it will be important to bring on board both the US and China to create a global standard on RFID.

The process of finding the right EU policy framework is being helped along by the German EU Presidency, which has included the issue in its list of priorities. The Portuguese and Slovenians are also expected to make it a priority during their tenure of the EU presidency, said Mr Chatzimarkakis. A timetable on RFID policy is expected to be announced at the CeBIT 2007 event in Hannover in March

In the meantime, research will continue to produce the next generation of secure, low-cost RFID systems. In addition to funding under the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7), resources will also be available through the newly launched Competitiveness and Innovation Programme (CIP).