In May 2001, IBM filed a patent application called "Identification and Tracking of Persons
Using RFID-Tagged Items" which detailed the company's strategy to track people who have purchased RFID-tagged items
from a store and then track the person either through the store or "other areas." The application then discusses how
the tags can be used to identify a person's demographic status. Here's an excerpt:
...instead of determining the exact identity of the person, some characteristics such as demographics (e.g., age, race, sex, etc.) about the person may be determined based on certain predetermined statistical information. For example, if items that are carried on the person are highly expensive name brands, e.g., Rolex watch, then the person may be classified in the upper middle class income bracket. In another example, if the items that are carried on the person are "female" items typically associated with women, e.g., a purse, scarf, pantyhose, then the gender of the person can be determined as a female.
Basically, the idea is to track a person from the moment he or she walks into the store, buys the item, walks out of the store, and then comes back to repeat the process.
Sounds a bit creepy, doesn’t it? This is the the kind of work going on behind the scenes with regard to RFID detailed in Spychips, the new book from Katherine Albrecht and Liz McIntyre that has caused quite a stir in the RFID sector. The authors describe a number of instances that details how both companies and certain parts of the government are looking to deploy RFID technology to keep track of goods and people. The company portion is more along the lines of continuous, 24/7 marketing to make sure that the bottle of shampoo you bought at the supermarket with the RFID tag embedded on the bottom of it will forward information to the manufacturer who will send you a coupon to buy more of the product the next time you go shopping. It’s all very subtle, at this point, but the authors believe that companies will take this route to make sure that brand loyalty will remain uppermost in the consumer’s mind.
Of course, this may sound innocent enough, but Albrecht and McIntyre say this is all part of a plan by companies and government to develop large databases of people and track their spending habits as well as movements in their community. It does sound like something out of a totalitarian state described in George Orwell’s “1984,” but there are enough examples provided in the book that make you take pause.
In Chapter 10, there’s a description of a scenario entitled “Real-World Showroom” developed by Accenture whereas a person would point a PDA at an RFID-embedded item which then would provide a webpage with information about the item plus shopping information. What makes this a little more “sinister” is that this could be done by persons pointing their PDAs at other people in stores, buses, the street, or anywhere else. The authors say that Accenture could have this platform up and running by 2010.
Another example described is the effort by Nokia to develop a cellphone embedded with an RFID reader that could be used to scan people and do an inventory of their belongings as they walk along on the street.
After reading this book, one could definitely walk away with the impression that RFID technology is evil and that everything possible should be done to make sure it doesn’t reach the masses. Of course, that is not going to happen, and controls must be put in by both the government and corporate governance to make sure its application is not abused.
Both Albrecht and McIntyre make a compelling case and present quite a bit of information, but the reader must be made aware that the authors are members of a privacy rights group and definitely have a bias against RFID. That doesn’t make what they write any less credible, but the book does not include any arguments from the other side. This is not the first written piece to ever be slanted toward one side of the debate!
The authors also state several ways to fight against RFID, including boycotts of certain companies and brand names as well as getting involved with protests. Of course, the everyday person is not going to take the time to do as they prescribe, but information is power, and Albrecht and McIntyre do a very good job of imploring the reader to find out as much as they can about RFID.
The book is written in a breezy, easy-to-understand style, but in some ways it is a bit too “National Enquirer-ish” in tone. Almost every chapter ends with something like “wait until you see what we have for you in the next chapter!” which sort of makes you think you’re reading a cliffhanger novel instead of a serious tome on RFID technology and its implications. In addition, it seems that every scenario described in the book seems to be the worst possible thing ever, which gives it an “alarmist tone” (a term that already has been applied to both authors). Plus, Chapter 16 details a “nightmare scenario” and wonders what would Hitler have done if he had access to RFID seems way over the top. You mean RFID would have made Hitler even more evil than he already was? Definitely overreaching by the authors.
On the positive side, the book is heavily footnoted and the reader can feel comfortable in knowing that extensive research was done before the book was written. Also, Albrecht and McIntyre do an admirable job in making the technology understandable to general interest readers, which is where this sort of information would make the most impact. Technologists have already been debating what’s in the book, and there certainly will be more thoughts expressed, both pro and con.
Spychips is a book that makes you sit up and take notice. The question “Is RFID bad for society?” is one that will be discussed in the days ahead, and this book will certainly spark debate. Readers may or may not agree with what Albrecht and McIntyre have written, but what their book has done is bring the discussion forward, and that is an admirable step.
