Question

This week we will look at a technology that affects most of us and also is wide-ranging, but goes unnoticed by many people. That technology is radio frequency identification (RFID). It generally started as a way to accurately identify and track inventory, but now is also used in credit cards, driver's licenses, military ID cards, insurance cards, and other areas. It is also injected into pets to identify lost dogs and cats. It is even being injected into humans as a trial for computerized health records. While all of these applications of RFID can be of great benefit, there are also down sides. Readers exist that, at close range, can capture the data on the chip and allow the "thief" to steal your identity, drain your bank accounts, run up your credit cards and provide other private information that can be misused. Discuss the following: major benefits and the negatives for using RFID. Discuss what protection we have for these negatives.

Answer 1

What are RFID TAGS:

Radiofrequency identification (RFID) is a general term that is used to describe a system that transmits the identity (in the form of a unique serial number) of an object wirelessly, using radio waves.RFID technologies are grouped under the more generic Automatic Identification(Auto-ID) technologies. The barcode labels that triggered a revolution in identification systems a long time ago, are inadequate in an increasing number of cases. They are cheap but the stumbling block is their low storage capacity and the fact that they cannot be reprogrammed.

Benefits of RFID TAGS :

• No line of sight required for reading
• Multiple items can be read with a single scan
• Each tag can carry a lot of data (read/write)
• Individual items identified and not just the category
• Passive tags have a virtually unlimited lifetime
• Active tags can be read from great distances
• Can be combined with barcode technology

Disadvantages of RFID TAGS:

• RFID systems are often more expensive than barcode systems
• The RFID technology is harder to understand
• Can be (debatably) less reliable
• RFID tags are usually larger than barcode labels
• Tags are application-specific. No one tag fits all
• Possibility of unauthorized reading of passports and credit cards
• More than one tag can respond at the same time

To overcome the disadvantages of RFID tags we can use some standards:

RFID Standards
• Many organizations in Europe and the USA are working on standardization of RFID. Some of them are the following:-
– Tracking Animals
• ISO 11784 – Specifies the structure of the ID code
• ISO 11785 – Specifies how transponder is activated
• ISO 14223/1 – Specifies RF code for advanced transponders
– Credit Cards
• ISO 15693 – Specifies modulation and coding schemes
– Passports and proximity cards
• ISO 14443 – Specifies modulation and coding schemes

Applications of RFID :

• Transportation and Logistics
• Manufacturing and Processing
• Animal tagging
• Store in an enterprise
• Retail store
• Community library
• Postal tracking
• Airline baggage reconciliation