Privacy Enhancing Technology Concepts for RFID Technology Scrutinised

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology is currently being tested and partially deployed for use in supply-chain and retail-shop management at the item level. It is seen as a means to enhance efficiency and introduce new functionality in products such as intelligent fridges or washing machines, who may query their contents. However, concern has arisen about the possibility of (mis)using RFID technology for tracking and profiling individual people. Privacy, data security and civil rights concerns expressed at some RFID consultation conferences, including those that follow from existing law, may lead to the failure of RFID technology to realise its promise. We present these concerns and compile a checklist against which we compare proposals to enhance RFID technology to gain privacy protection. Three recent concepts for changing the physical RFID design in order to implant so-called Privacy Enhancing Technolgies (PET) are scrutinised.