
PRIVACY AND SECURITY 203
Addressing RFID Privacy
Many avenues exist for furthering RFID privacy. They span (in no specific order of impor-
tance) the gamut of government legislation and guidelines, industry guidelines, self-policing
by companies, consumer awareness groups, and technological enablers.
Government legislation
Many governments are currently debating legislation that would protect consumers from
improper collection and use of RFID data in both the public and the private sectors.
Whether special laws will be required to promote RFID privacy and security or whether
these issues will fall under the umbrella of broader laws on privacy is not yet clear. Govern-
ments must carefully balance consumers’ and citizens’ privacy needs against the needs of
corporations to collect marketing data and the benefits gained by society at large through
efficiencies introduced into the supply chain using RFID technologies. Several bills related
to data privacy, protection, and security were introduced during the 108th legislative ses-
sion of the U.S. Congress. Representative Gerald D. Kleczka (D-Wisconsin) sponsored a bill
that proposed requiring warning labels on consumer products containing RFID devices. The
bill, H.R.4673, was introduced under the title “Opt Out of ID Chips Act.”
In August 2004, California’s state Senate passed a measure to set limits on the use of RFID
technology by libraries, retailers, ...