Continuous RFID-Enabled Authentication: Privacy Implications

Radio frequency identification (RFID) technology has been used in many application areas, including tracking shipments, inventory control, tracking livestock, locating missing pets, and studying wildlife. Recent years saw a rise in applications where RFID is used to track and monitor people with a broad objective of improving safety and productivity. RFID is now used to track military and law enforce ment personnel, locate lost children in amusement parks, and improve critical response time and efficien cy in hospitals by tracking medical personnel. RFID tags for tracking people can be either worn or implanted, but both methods pose significant ethical challenges to privacy. Applications involving subdermally implanted RFID tags and their ethical and privacy implications have been surveyed. The main focus of this article is on RFID systems that use wearable tags that can be embedded in badges or clothing for employee tracking at the workplace.