In the USA, a recent privacy forum held in California is being hailed by organisers as a first step in creating a framework for balancing public privacy concerns with the expanding uses for RFID technology.
Sponsored by California-based access control card manufacturer HID Corporation, the event titled RFID & Privacy in the Information Age provided a forum on December 1 for industry, policymakers and RFID end users to discuss a range of issues, according to organisers.
What they say
"The feedback we’ve been hearing is excellent and suggests our initial goals for a healthy exchange of information, perspectives and dialogue were achieved," said Denis Hébert, President and CEO of HID. "We have definitely built a positive foundation for future discussions on privacy policies as they relate to our industry in California."
"The industry was able to correct some misconceptions about RFID and establish this technology as integral to meeting the public’s need and desire for greater security and privacy protection," Hébert said.
Participants included: California State Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto), author of pending legislation to restrict RFID for some public-sector applications; Prof J Clark Kelso, the State of California’s Chief Information Officer; Brian Zimmer, Senior Investigator for the US House of Representative’s Committee on the Judiciary; and PK Agarwal, California Department of Technology Services.
Professor Kelso called RFID technology a ‘transformational’ technology that will fundamentally alter society and economy. Privacy laws must keep pace with the technology, he said, and the forum was important as ‘the first of many’ discussions that will need to take place.
Other speakers included, Dan Greenwood, lecturer at MIT Media Lab; Bill Newill, Securakey; Neville Pattinson, Axalto, Dan Combs, Global Identity Solutions, L.L.C; Kent Kuo, University of California at Merced; Richard Varn, RJV Consulting; Steve Wagner, HID; Marc Freundlich, Indala Corporation; and Debra Spitler, ASSA ABLOY Identification Technology Group.
