What about consumer privacy concerns in RAIN RFID tags?

Modified on Fri, 30 Aug at 3:00 PM

Unlike contactless smartcards, RAIN RFID tags are created for businesses to manage products, not people.

In most cases, a RAIN tag contains no personally identifiable information. Nevertheless, it is up to the RFID operator (the entity that determines the purposes and means of the RFID application) to make sure that the data encoded in the RFID tags cannot be linked to personal data. This can especially be the case when it comes to checkout processes in retail industry where a client uses a loyalty card with personal identification. In this case, the EPC (encoded in the RAIN tag) could be related to personal data, and a lot more care should be taken.

GS1 and its community recognize that, for EPC to gain broad public acceptance, consumers must have confidence in its value and benefits, as well as in the conscientious application of this technology.

GS1 member companies are committed to gaining and retaining this public confidence. Privacy has been a focus of EPC development efforts since the earliest stages of the effort to standardize RAIN RFID for open supply chain issues.

GS1, through its EPCglobal initiative, has created a multi-industry, global Public Policy Steering Committee to anticipate and engage in policy issues and address them through education and outreach to key stakeholders in the public and private sectors.

GS1 members have developed self-regulating guidelines that can evolve as the technology develops.

The GS1/EPC Guidelines on EPC for Consumer Products promote consumer notice, education, and choice about the technology and include consumer privacy protections. Licensing agreements for the EPC specifically prohibit its use for tracking or identifying people, except in very specific, transparent patient and troop safety applications.

More information can be found at http://www.gs1.org/standards/rfid/guidelines