RFID Cards & Security Poll
Monday, August 29, 2005 - AIM Global
The last Web Poll on the AIM Global and RFID.org websites asked visitors their views on potential privacy threats posed by RFID-enabled ID cards. The response was overwhelmingly negative -- only 31% felt they posed little risk -- but the comments are more telling than the results.
How much of a security/privacy threat is posed by the use of RFID technology in state - or federally - issued ID Cards?
|
Unacceptably high |
40.85% |
|
Quite a lot |
16.20% |
|
Somewhat |
10.56% |
|
Not Much |
14.79% |
|
Virtually none |
16.20% |
The comments of those who felt the technology did not pose a significant threat showed a clear understanding of the technology and were focused on the technology itself:
· Most standard RFID cards cannot be read from more than a few inches away. You will more than likely know if you're being read.
· RFID cards can be shielded with foil when you don't want them read, and [they] can only be read within a few feet. Cell phones are a much greater privacy threat, since they can be identified and tracked almost anywhere (and nobody is worried about THEM).
Other comments showed mixed feelings about RFID ID Cards and, more importantly, about the use of the data.
· I believe the benefits outweigh the risks.
· I suppose with RFID around, privacy of individuals will be hindered a lot.[and] also the conditions of products can be found even after sale. It depends on who's controlling the information and how they use it...but then I would rather not leave it to anyone else to decide.
· While some benefits are seen clearly, at no point in time should the government know where each citizen is at any time
The negative comments focused almost exclusively on potential misuse of the data, not the technology per se.
· The technology itself isn't as scary as the people who are in charge of implementing it. Who is in charge of protecting our civil and constitutional rights?
· While the current government may not be questionable, who knows what future governments will be like? If people are forced to have an RFID [ID] who knows what uses it could be put to? Why limit it to simply tracking down criminals? What about tracking what you read? What about tracking where you worship or perhaps track who you speak to? If you are able, as in the Matrix Symbols and Cell Phones article, track a person through a mall, what is to stop an unscrupulous group tracking you anywhere you go?
· Pandora''s Box has been opened.
· This kind of technology concerns me. What happens if this gets in the wrong hands? Is it such a good idea at that point? I don't think so. It's just not safe. Also, what good is signing a HIPAA form with one of these present? I mean, your privacy goes out the window, and the world has access to every little aspect of your life.
· There is no unbreakable encryption technology.
While it's clear that some of the negative comments assume the ability to covertly read IDs from a much greater distance than is feasible, the concerns are primarily on data management and data security issues as well as the potential misuse of collected data. Given the number of database security lapses over the last few months, much of this concern is merited.
Even among those who are reasonably knowledgeable about RFID technology -- those who responded to this survey -- there are still significant concerns about security and personal privacy. This concern, however, is focused primarily on personal data after it has been collected.
The challenge for the industry, therefore, is two-fold:
First, to educate the public on the fact that there are already encryption and authentication protocols available for RFID ID card technology.
Second, to educate agencies collecting the data of the urgent need to adopt the most stringent data security protocols.
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