The headlines may say this week that the European Commission adopted a set of recommendations to make sure that everyone involved in the design or operation of smart chip i.e. RFID applications that respects the individual's fundamental right to privacy and data protection..
The reality behind the recommendations is that the EC has had to recognise reality and rein back some of its proposed RFID recommendations after intense lobbying from current and future would-be RFID exponents warned that the EC's hobnail boots threatened to trample all over the sapling RFID industry. A commonsense approach that satisfies all has prevailed.
Not too many months ago, organisations such as EPCglobal were trying to get over their message to the EC that "with RFID applications at a fledging state, the business case for RFID for many retailers is still only just about positive and others still have difficulty finding it. Any EC requirement to offer deactivation with all its complexities, or even ubiquitous simple tag removal, would be very likely to result in the stopping of item level adoption by retailers. This is likely to halt the long term opportunities and benefits of RFID for consumer and retailer before they have been obtained. RFID offers a real opportunity for European retailers to become more efficient. This will not happen if the legislation fails to strike the right balance between consumer protection and the benefits consumers and retailers can obtain from an efficient service driven retail industry."
The clear message then was that functionality in RFID technology goes hand in hand with cost. Any functionality, security, privacy or other, has a price. If goverments regulate in any way there is bound to be a private sector outcry on cost. However a laissez faire approach without adequate regards to protecting the rights of ALL participants, including citizens, is possibly a recipe for trouble. This is one of the issues government policy makers fear. The impact of culture and local societal values in matters of security and privacy cannot be underestimated. There is a fear that RFID could go down the same road in public perception as GM foods with decisons being based on irrational emotions and politics. If so, opportunities could be lost.
It seems those fears have been understood and taken on board within the corridors of power in Brussels when it came to discussions over the deactivation or removal of tags.
GS1 EPCglobal, which has been an active and committed stakeholder throughout the process, says that consumers and businesses will both benefit from the recommendation's practical guidance for leveraging the benefits of deploying RFID within the European Union, while protecting the privacy of consumers. Hence, this text is the result of contributions from different stakeholders and in a sense, all stakeholders are winners. GS1 EPCglobal considers that efforts should now be placed on how to efficiently implement the provisions of this Recommendation, and it will work with its community of users towards that end.
