S&E+Issues

Data integrity issues a problem with RFID, mostly because the quality of the Data isn't very good (even now, companies are trying to resolve this issue). An example would be when Wal-Mart received delivery information for 40 cases of a certain product, but they may accidentally read 20 cases out of a palette of 40. So the reading rates as well as the system reliability needs improvement, people need to be able to filter the data and figure out what to do with it.

RFID would manage many processes that are currently handled manually (ie: inventory replenishment and control, distribution, shipping, planning, and retail category management activities. Etc.) However, its impact on current processes may not be understood or clearly communicated throughout the organization which results in inconsistent execution and data integrity issues. All processes and exception processing affected by RFID must be considered, including handling receiving issues and returns--such as quantity, quality, and part discrepancies--and overages and shortages. Ultimately, these changes will have a significant impact on processes integrated with financial reporting systems, which will--at least in the United States--have to be addressed in the context of compliance and control efforts related to the U.S. Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.

Implanted RFID chips will store more data. Databases will be created to link that information on the chips to facts about a person. So, it's easy to foresee situations in which even a simple identification number might lead to harm - consider the millions of dollars lost to identity theft in the United States because of the disclosure of information. Some ethical concerns can be addressed with better technology. With proper encryption methods, a person's privacy can be preserved without decreasing the usefulness of the implant.

The FreeDictionary lists four main concerns regarding RFID technology: - The purchaser of an item will not necessarily be aware of the presence of an RFID tag or be able to remove it. - An RFID tag can be read at a distance without the knowledge of the individual - If a tagged item is paid for by credit card or in conjunction with use of a loyalty card, then it would be possible to tie the unique ID of that item to the identity of the purchaser - RFID tags create or are proposed to create, globally unique serial numbers for all products, even though this creates privacy problems and is completely unnecessary for most applications.

Skimming - creating an unauthorized connection with an RFID tag in order to gain access to its data. Someone, not a part of the identification system to gather information surreptitiously. The risk can be controlled by blocking the transmissions of radio signals to and from the chip when it is not in use. Another is to encrypt the data transmission so that identification information appears indecipherable to anyone intercepting it that is not authorized to read it. But, the encryption can be an identifier if it remains the same each time the card is skimmed.

Eavesdropping - interception of the electronic communication session between RFID tag and authorized reader. It is to gain access to the data being transmitted. An eavesdropper can collection information from the communication between an RFID chip and reader even if the communication is encrypted. One way to stop this is to limit the environments in which identification cards are used. Another is to design RFID chips so that no two communication sessions appear alike.

__Privacy issues__ RFID tags raise the issue of privacy for individuals, because they may be embedded into or attached to objects without the knowledge of the individual that uses these objects.

This list of threats relates to the possible misuse of personal data as a result of the RFID tag* having a unique ID which can be associated to personal identity information. This list is composed of the following threats: · Action threat, related to the individual’s behaviour, · Association threat, related to the customer’s identity, · Location threat, related to the tag location, · Preference threat, related to the customer’s preferences, · Constellation threat; RFID network makes possible people tracking, · Transaction threat makes possible to determine transactional information between users, and · Breadcrumb threat, consequence of the association threat, related to personal information aggregation; this threat may lead to crime, or other malicious act.


 * Works Cited:**

Croft, John. "RFID: Be Not Afraid." __AviationWeek__. 11 May 2005. McGraw Hill Companies. 21 Apr. 2008 <[|http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_generic.jsp?channel=om&id=news/om0405RFID.xml>.]

Monk, Christopher. "Risk Management." 19 Apr. 2008 <[|http://goliath.ecnext.com/coms2/gi_0199-4388028/RFID-risk-management-although-there.html>.]

"RFID." __International Paper__. Tecstra Systems Corporation. 21 Apr. 2008 <[|http://glossary.ippaper.com/default.asp?req=knowledge/article/489>.]

Roberti, Mark. "Improvement Areas for RFID." __National Instruments__. 19 Apr. 2008 <[|http://zone.ni.com/devzone/cda/tut/p/id/4301>.]

Rogerson, Simon. "Tag Ethics." __CCSR__. 2004. 21 Apr. 2008 <[|http://www.ccsr.cse.dmu.ac.uk/resources/general/ethicol/Ecv14no5.html>.]

RFID, Profiling, and AmI. Future of IDentity in the Information Society. 22 April 1008. http://www.fidis.net/resources/deliverables/profiling/d770/doc/24/