RFID Privacy Workshop At MIT 25
Steve Weis writes "MIT is hosting a workshop on Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) Privacy on November 15th, 2003. Representatives from industry,
academia and privacy advocate groups will discuss the privacy issues associated with a widely deployed consumer RFID system. Pre-registered university students may attend the conference for free. The workshop website includes a RFID Privacy Blog."
I must be tired (Score:5, Funny)
I need more coffee.
Re:I must be tired (Score:2)
RFTA = Really Fucked That Acronym!
is it not? (Score:2)
Excellent. See you there. I'll be the one all in black.
I goes nobody's replying.. (Score:2)
Note from MIT (Score:3, Funny)
Your name and contact details will be entered into our system and your credit card charged the fee automatically as you pass through the entrance.
Thanks,
S. Garfinkel
Workshop Chair
It's coming..... (Score:3, Insightful)
That said, when I had a case of severe testerone poisoning back when I was in my 20's, I probably would have crashed this event with signs rallying against oppression, etc...
Now that I'm somewhat older, and a few degrees under my belt, I can see the benefits of RFID enabled systems from a business standpoint.
And I've done the math. And guess what? So have about a zillion other business people, and they're chomping at the bit to integrate RFID as soon as it gets just a bit cheaper to implement.
So it's going to happen. What all of us privacy-loving people need to do RIGHT NOW is figure out how we're going to deal with it. What is an appropriate balance that we can strike with people who want to use RFID and those of us who value our privacy?
I fully understand that there are a variety of uses for RFID within an enterprise or retail environment. But once I LEAVE that environment, I would prefer to have all the RFID's deactivated, and unable to be reactivated - ever.
I am absolutely not so paranoid about there being a sensor in every doorway in the next 10 or 20 years, but rather some techno-crook teaming up with a buddy who's been laid off from the radio industry who builds a powerful RFID transciever that can scan my home from the sidewalk... They have someone else who breaks into a system to learn what RFID ties into what item, and discover that I have a nice stereo that they'd like to acquire... Or that my wife has a mink coat... Or that I just bought a new watch... Best of all, they correlate all those records and discover when I typically bought them so they know when I'll be out of the house... THAT'S what I'm worried about.
The rest of it - the government knowing where I am, what I bought, blah blah blah - they've got that shit if they want it right now. They abuse it to be sure, but thus far not too badly (from what I can tell), and while I'm not happy with that, neither is the EFF or ACLU and they're working with a bunch of other people to restrict things... WE THE PEOPLE can have an effect on government - eventually - because of our Constitution.
But WE THE PEOPLE have a tougher time with corporations. So WE THE PEOPLE need to talk about this BEFORE it becomes a problem, come up with some reasonable ideas that most of us (people and corps) can live with, and implement it.
If we don't - the risks will be unbelievable. The damage done to people's privacy will be incalculable. People will be robbed, and killed. Corporations will use the technology to squeeze even more money out of the people, and they will use it to 'prove' that you did something - even when you did not - because we all know the system could never be wrong! Right?
That said - the MIT Workshop is a good start.
Re:It's coming..... (Score:2)
The argument that they can never usefully distill that data down holds less and less water with each day that passes, as computing power gets faster and cheaper. We in the UK are already under the microscope pretty much all the time we are
Re:It's coming..... (Score:2)
Re:It's coming..... (Score:1)
Not necessarily - there is nothing stopping manufacturers implating them in, for example, the hems on clothing, inside the soles of shoes and so on. The minute someone realises that doing so makes it harder to rip off the tag and just walk out of the shop carrying your now de-tagged and invisible to the security system loot, someone will do it. And once one does it, the rest will follow.
Re:It's coming..... (Score:1)
The reason why manufacturers are so hot over RFID is because it makes counting things easy. Using RFID, they don't have to pull open a box, and count all the items inside to do an inventory - they just h
Re:It's coming..... (Score:1)
Now it may. But how long before they start arguing that placing it inside the item rather than on tags or packaging ensures it can't be damaged, that it is cheaper and more reliable and so on?
"but if you are really worried about that, I hope you use cash and money order only"
For mos things I use cash, but I also play the game my way: I buy things online, b
Re:It's coming..... (Score:2)
FYI.
--RJ
Very interesting here in Spain (Score:1)
As you might know, in Spain it's obligatory to carry your ID card with you if you're older than 18. Besides having a chip with all your data in it, it's said that the card also contains a RFID tag so, as you can imagine, privacy concerns are arising.
Re:Very interesting here in Spain (Score:2)
Re:Very interesting here in Spain (Score:1)
What if you *lost* it? And don't have it with you... But didn't notice until just then...
You can always claim that you've lost it, plain simple. You'll have to go to a police station as soon as you can to get a new one. It costs something like 4
What if you *forgot* it? What's the penalty
A police officer may request your ID card at any time. I know there's some kind of fine, but I can't tell you 100% sure as I've never been requested for it.
That answers above apply to t
Re:Very interesting here in Spain (Score:1)
Re:Very interesting here in Spain (Score:1)