East West University, Bangladesh anticipating ethical challenges of RFID

Radio frequency identification (RFID) is a technology based on the need for remote recognition of objects. It is a fairly simple technology involving radio wave communication between a microchip and an electronic reader, in which information stored on the chip is transmitted and processed. The potential use of this technology includes RFID-chipped passports, human implants, item-level tagging, inventory tracking and access control systems. However, when tags begin to be associated with individuals, privacy is threatened. Good RFID use policies and privacy protecting technologies, while providing a good first step, are not enough to protect individual privacy. RFID is a new type of threat to personal information and must be treated as such; indeed, it must be recognized that existing privacy legislation is not adequate. This paper examines the privacy and ethical issues arising from its use, as well as addressing potential means of handling those issues.