The technology, which is often described as a 'wireless barcode', has seen proponents promising a revolution in supply chain management, while raising the ire of privacy advocates who are concerned the technology will be used to create databases of information on individuals without their consent.
The controversy increased recently when Katherine Albrecht, founder and director of Consumers Against Supermarket Privacy Invasion and Numbering (CASPIAN), received an e-mail, sent to her by mistake, which indicated Grocery Manufacturers of America (GMA) was planning a personal attack to discredit her and her organisation.
When inquiring as to the reason for a request of her biography from the GMA, Albrecht was surprised to receive a reply apparently intended for someone else which read I don't know what to tell this woman! "Well, actually we're trying to see if you have a juicy past we can use against you." The GMA apologised, claiming the e-mail was written by a college intern and did not reflect the organisation's policy.
Many retail stores have become cautious of public perception in regards to the technology. Scott Whiffin, from Coles Myer corporate affairs, denied that it would make use of any RFID tags that may be included in stock sold in its stores.
"This is totally wrong," said Whiffin. "Coles Myer does not include RFID tags in any of the consumer goods we sell in our stores." Gillette purchased 500 million RFID tags in January 2003 to use in its Mach 3 razor blade packs, which are sold in Australia.
"Where we're at with RFID use is that we will be using them in a limited pilot within our food and liquor supply chain to track pallets and rollcages. That's the extent of it at this stage," said Whiffin. "We are aware of the limited use of this technology by UK and US retailers but we would need to very carefully assess the pros and cons - obviously including the privacy implications - before we even thought about using the technology beyond our supply chain."
Basic RFID technology is already being used in the form of wireless security scanners at stores, and it is only a matter of time before the technology becomes an integral part of our lives.
