A European Commission consultation on the use of radio
frequency identification (RFID) tags has come out against its
widespread use without customer approval.
The European Commission’s data protection and privacy body,
Article 29, has published a report on RFID use and said it is
concerned about RFID tags being used to track the movements and
actions of EU citizens without their approval.
The report said, "The ability to collect a variety of data all
related to the same person; track individuals as they walk in
public places; enhance profiles through the monitoring of consumer
behaviour in stores; read the details of clothes and accessories
worn and medicines carried by customers are all examples of uses of
RFID technology that give rise to privacy concerns."
Guidelines proposed in the report for the use of RFID tags
include gaining customer consent for putting RFID tags on their
goods, providing information as to what data will be collected, and
making it clear to customers that they have access to the
information.
The commission consulation is due at the end of next month.