Consumers should be able to control the privacy aspects of
"smart" or radio frequency identity (RFID) chips typically found in
digital passports, identity cards and Oyster travel cards, the
European Commission has said.
The Commission today adopted a
recommendation to enure that everyone involved in the design or
use of smart chip technology respects the individual's fundamental
right to privacy and data protection. This right was set out in the
charter of fundamental rights of the European Union on 14 December
2007.
Companies and public authorities should assess the privacy and
data protection impacts before they use smart chips. National data
protection authorities should review the assessments to assure
public confidence, it said.
Firms and government departments that use smart chips, such as
the passport and identity service and agencies, should tell
consumers precisely what data they collect (such as name, address
or date of birth), the purpose, and if and how it will be used.
They should also label card readers clearly and provide a contact
point for citizens, the commission said.
Retailers should disable tags automatically at the point of
purchase unless specifically asked not to do so, the commission
said.
Communications commissioner Viviane Reding said consumers had to
be confident that the privacy of their personal data was
"impregnable". "The commission therefore wants RFID technology to
empower consumers to control their data security, which is the best
way to make sure (RFID) is an economic success," she said.
RFID chips typically encode identity data that it can send over
short range radio links to readers, allowing others to track the
person or item attached to the chip.
Reding said the RFID chip market would grow five-fold in the
next decade from 2.2 billion (worth €4bn) last year, with Europe
taking a 35% share.