Monday, November 17, 2008
 | Category: Blogging Howdy Ya All, I thought I would share some interesting information with you and let you decide Friend or Foe after reading it. I admit, it's a bit wordy and for some it may be exhausting, but hang in there till the end because it's all Food for Thought! Enjoy! RFID Definition: Radio frequency identification, or RFID, is a generic term for technologies that use radio waves to automatically identify people or objects. There are several methods of identification, but the most common is to store a serial number that identifies a person or object, and perhaps other information, on a microchip that is attached to an antenna (the chip and the antenna together are called an RFID transponder or an RFID tag). The antenna enables the chip to transmit the identification information to a reader. The reader converts the radio waves reflected back from the RFID tag into digital information that can then be passed on to computers that can make use of it. RFID is used for everything from tracking cows and pets to triggering equipment down oil wells. It may sound trite, but the applications are limited only by people's imagination. The most common applications are payment systems (Mobil Speedpass and toll collection systems, for instance), access control and asset tracking. Increasingly, retail/CPG and pharma companies are looking to use RFID to track goods within their supply chain, to work in process and for other applications. An RFID system consists of a tag made up of a microchip with an antenna, and an interrogator or reader with an antenna. The reader sends out electromagnetic waves. The tag antenna is tuned to receive these waves. A passive RFID tag draws power from the field created by the reader and uses it to power the microchip's circuits. The chip then modulates the waves that the tag sends back to the reader, which converts the new waves into digital data. If companies choose to put RFID tags in clothes and items consumers carry around, such as wallets, and consumers choose not to kill the tags in these items, it might be possible for governments to use RFID tags for surveillance. But they would have to have access to the database of information related to the tags' EPCs, and it would be easy for individuals to avoid being tracked. RFID readers must emit radio waves to read tags. The signals from a reader can easily be detected and blocked. RFID access cards can do more than let people into their workplace. They have been used for years as Security I.D. cards where the employee is allowed to use it to clock in, access their work place, access their work stations and access other parts of their workplace including file rooms, high security areas, elevators, etc. When an employee uses their Security Pass I.D. their whereabouts are recorded with each use. RFID has been used for years in EZ Pass stickers you purchase for your vehicle windshield so you can have your credit card charged on a regular basis instead of pulling over to the slow lane and dump your purse out to pay for the toll. One day, I'm sure if law enforcement, government or a high level hacker wants to know your whereabouts, they will. In Dundee, Scotland, pregnant women blow into a device to verify they have not been smoking, then present an RFID card to record their success and receive a reward. Exercise enthusiasts in Turkey use passive 13.56 MHz RFID-enabled cards not only to gain entrance to their health clubs, purchase food and gear, and secure their lockers, but also to track workouts. French Transit Smart Cards Link to the Internet. France's SNCF is planning a fall pilot for its Weneo ID Smart Card that will link to the Internet via a USB port, enabling holders to add funds from home. The Waikiki facility is deploying AlohaPay, a system enabling guests to use their room keys as contactless payment cards at retail locations in and near the facility. The operator of four Colorado ski resorts will install RFID-enabled chairlift access gates linked to a new point-of-sale system in time for its 2008-09 ski season. Car-Wash Operators Find RFID Helps Them Clean Up. EPC RFID tags attached to car windshields quickly identify regular customers and make sure their vehi cles get all the services they signed up for. Turnkey Self-Service Store Would Employ RFID Instead of People The prefabricated transportable structure, developed by a European startup, features RFID interrogators at the point of sale and exit door, enabling a retailer to operate without staff, and to quickly open up new branches to meet demand. (I wonder if they'll honor my coupons) RFID Payment Fobs Fail to Woo Consumers. AmEx has pulled its RFID-based key fobs off the shelf, but pundits say NFC-enabled phones hold better promise and RFID-based card usage should continue to grow. Soccer Fans Use RFID Cards to Gain Admission and Buy Food. The Manchester City Football Club is issuing season tickets containing 13.56 MHz RFID tags, enabling them to unlock the stadium's turnstiles, and to function as contactless PayPass payment cards. MasterCard says events are a great platform for promoting PayPass, its RFID-enabled payment cards. The list goes on and on from Tracking Students riding School Busses, automate attendance procedures, pay for school lunches, track inventory in your store / inventory in your warehouse, cargo shipments, Automating grocery stores so they don't have to employ human cashiers, pay for vending machines, payphones, track mobile phones, mobile computers, assets, Pay for the Subway ride home... Schuitema Tests NFC Phones in a C1000 Grocery Store. The Dutch retailer gave RFID-enabled phones to 100 customers, who use the devic es to receive deposits from bottle-return machines, make charitable donations and pay for purchases. Finnish Parking Pilot Taps RFID Tags and NFC Phones. The system enables the city of Oulu to chronicle how long a car is parked, sends reminders to the driver and automatically deducts payment from a designated account. (I wonder if they will even charge the towing fee directly to you when you leave your car parked for too long in one spot and they have it towed away. I mean, extend one curtousy to me, you might as well get one back for yourself. MasterCard Rolls Out Contactless Carpet in the U.K. The credit card association claims 60 percent of Britons under 25 years old, and 49 percent of those ages 25 to 34, would use debit or credit cards more often than cash if the cards were RFID-enabled. Office Depot Accepting Contactless Payments. The office supply merchant is the first major retail establishment outside of fast-food restaurants, convenience stores and theaters to adopt Visa payWave and similar RFID-enabled credit cards. Confidex intros new RFID tags for automotive industry; Reva Systems announces upgrades; IPICO inks Chinese electronic toll contract; BJ's, Barclays team up on RFID-enabled credit card; University of Maryland offers free RFID assessments. MasterCard, Banco Posta Plan Italian PayPass Pilot. The project, planned to take place in Milan and Rome, will be the first Euro pean pilot involving RFID-enabled prepaid payment cards. FamilyMart Demonstrates RFID's Convenience to Customers. At two of the retailer's busiest Tokyo stores, item-level tagging and RFID-enabled payment cards enabled the merchant to double the number of customers it could serve per hour. Ocean City Plans to RFID-enable Its Beaches. The N.J. municipality hopes to issue RFID wristbands to serve as beach passes, and provide visitors a means of cashless payment for food and parking. RFID would also help keep beaches clean. European Study Probes RFID's Impact on Privacy. Issued by the European Parliament's Scientific Technology Options Assessment committee, the report finds that the use of RFID to date has not had significant negative impacts on the privacy of individuals, though it does call for transparency. French Jean Boutique Adopts RFID to Boost Loyalty. To attract young shoppers to its stores, Gedenim is issuing RFID-enabled loyalty cards and deploying kiosks and sales terminals designed to provide personalized information and offers to cardholders. Sunway Lagoon Issues RFID Wristbands for Admission, Purchases. The Malaysian resort's patrons use the wristbands, rather than paper tickets, to access sections of the park and pay for goods and services. Slippery Rock Adds RFID to Student Cell Phones. The Pennsylvania university is giving out passive 13.56 MHz RFID tags to attach to mobile phones, allowing attendees to pay for a ra nge of goods and services, both on campus and off. Visa and Wells Fargo Testing NFC Payments. The two companies have started with internal tests involving Wells Fargo employees, but plan to involve consumers in the fourth quarter. U.S. Cellular Phone Provider Tests NFC. Cellular South is conducting a two-city trial in which customers can buy goods using RFID-enabled, biometric Kyocera phones. Best Buy Eager to Use RFID to Eliminate Checkout Lines. The greatest obstacle to deployment, according to Best Buy CIO Bob Willett, is the current cost of tags and readers. (But, think of all the money they'll save by not employing all those people who dare ask for meager wages to feed their families) Mercy Medical Tracks Cardiovascular Consumables. The Des Moines, Iowa, hospital is employing passive HF tags to inventory its supply of stents, balloons and other devices used in its catheterization lab—and, eventually, to bill patients. (Bless their little hearts...Now, we wouldn't want one of those patients slipping through without paying, would we?) RFID Payment Platforms Gaining Momentum. At last week's CardTech 2007 payments industry conference, Visa, MasterCard and American Express provided updates on their RFID-enabled payments rollouts. University of Arkansas Kicks Off Apparel and Footwear RFID Study. The project, which is being conducted by the university, consumer goods associations and a major retailer, will ex plore how tagging individual goods with RFID can improve retail processes. RFID Makes Ordering and Paying for Pizza Easy As Pie. A Florida pizzeria is using RFID so customers can pay for their pies at a self-service kiosk, and the restaurant can keep better tabs on orders. Madrid Reebok Club Members Play With RFID. All members now use a card, bracelet or watch with a 13.56 passive RFID tag to access facilities and buy goods and services. Grocery Stores Use RFID to Dispense Rental DVDs, Self-serve kiosks employ passive 13.56 MHz tags to dispense and track the discs that customers rent and return. (It's a good thing the DVD ratings don't go above R, eh?) MasterCard to Offer Paper or Plastic. The credit card company is developing a paper RFID payment ticket for transit systems, sporting arenas and other applications. Amsterdam Tourists Go Contactless. A new preprogrammed RFID card gives tourists faster access to transportation around the city, as well as to museums and other attractions. Moscow Metro Tries RFID-Enabled Ticketing. The transit agency has been relying on magnetic-stripe fare cards and is now testing paper tickets with embedded 13.56 MHz RFID tags. The goal is to reduce equipment failures and ticket fraud. Discover Teaming With Motorola on NFC, Mobile-Banking Trial. Participants can use phones with Motorola's new M-Wallet platform to check Discover account balances, make RFID-based20payments and more. Survey Predicts Majority of Retailers Will Accept RFID Payments by Fall 2008. To fully benefit from RFID payments, retailers need to capture data related to purchasing habits, demographics and interests of customers, according to a new study. RFID-Enabled Cart Set to Provide Shoppers With Product Info, Ads. Two grocery retailers, one on the East Coast and a second in the Dallas area, are expected to begin testing the system in a retail setting. Chinese Railway Switching to RFID Transit Cards. Finnish smart card provider Confidex has announced a five-year contract with the transit company for 125 million high-frequency payment cards. RFID Changing Buying Behavior. MasterCard says RFID-enabled payment cards are leading to significant changes at the cash register, while a Visa survey finds cell phones are a promising payment form factor. Philly To Get RFID-enabled Vending Machines. USA Technologies will add its RFID-enabled payment terminals to 1,000 Coca-Cola vending machines in the Philadelphia metro area. JCB to Run RFID Payment Trial in Amsterdam. Holders of JCB credit cards will use RFID-enabled Nokia phones to make payments using the near-field communication protocol. Watches Set for Payments. Through a promotion linked to the FIFA World Cup in Germany, consumers in Taiwan can now pay for goods at select merchants using an RFID-enabled wristwatch. Smart-card Market Sees Two Acquisitions. Assa Abl oy and On Track Innovations have each bought companies promising to enhance their ability to serve the global market for smart cards. Utah Buses to Get RFID-Enabled Fareboxes. In time for next winter's ski season, the Utah Transit Authority plans to implement what it claims is the United States' first contactless payment system installed on buses. Bus Riders in Hanau Use RFID to Go. The public transport authority for Hanau, Germany, deploys a fare-collection system that works with NFC-enabled phones. Retailers Likely to Wed RFID to Loyalty. A report from Javelin Research & Strategy urges card associations and issuers to get a jump on co-branding contactless payment cards, in order to drive acceptance and benefit from loyalty-based card programs. Jail to Test RFID-Managed Phones. At a Texas correctional facility, inmates will use RFID wristbands to access the phone system and pay for calls. Chase Expands Blink's East Coast Presence. The bank is sending blink cards to 3 million Eastern U.S. cardholders, stating they'll soon have 3,000 places to use them. Vending Machines Accept RFID Cards. In New York City and Atlanta, USA Technologies is installing RFID-enabled cashless payment terminals in vending machines and kiosks. RFID Moratorium Bill Stalls in Committee. California's Identity Information Protection Act of 2005, which seeks to restrict the use of RFID technology in state-issued IDs, is being20held up in the assembly's appropriations committee. RFID has been used for years in PayPass Credit and Debit Cards or cards with built in chips to use at retailers, fast food restaurants, movie theaters, gas stations, etc... I had one issued by Charter One Bank of Indiana and I liked the fact the technology was new to me and interesting, but because I felt someone could hack it and duplicate it one day to steal money from my account, I returned it to the bank and told them I would apply for a new one because the card information had been compromised. I have yet to worry about replacing the card since they use this technology and I've seen videos of people using laptop computers and a device bought off eBay for $8 to skim the information off the RFID chip embedded cards through someone's wallet only 6 inches away. With the right kind of technology, I'm sure this person could duplicate the RFID and load their own chip. What they showed in the video was how it was done, with what, how much it costs and showed the read out on the laptop screen of all the account information it was able to retrieve with their device and of course a program used to decipher the information. Where else has this technology been used for years and has been, from time to time, useful? Pet Tagging. A Vet can inject with a needle under the skin a RFID chip and then with the chip number, he can=2 0program and store the pet's information and the owners information in case the two are separated. Someone finds your dog, takes it to the vet, they scan the animal to see if it has a chip, finds there is one, retrieves the information and calls the rightful owner. Wonderful Day! But... Ask yourself this--Where will it all end? Well, I'm a firm believer that it won't because it is infinite. Will it be used to track humans one day at all times throughout the universe, just prisons, just schools, just criminals, just deadbeat dads, just sex offenders? Let's not get ahead of ourselves. It will all come to pass, just not all at once. The government doesn't want to panic the masses. Will you consent to one of these handy tracking devices or will you know that they're being inserted by use of a needle if the government says there's a new strain of the flu virus and if every single person doesn't get the vaccination, we're all doomed to die? Don't think they're going to tell you. Or, are you just that naive? Conspiracy Theory? Maybe. Maybe this is the newest form of tagging or receiving the mark that Christian's have been talking about for many years. We once thought we would all end up with a barcode on our foreheads. This is more sophisticated, but much the same thing. Do some of us already have the tags (RFID Chips)? Who knows? Perhaps I'm jumping the gun on this, but as you can see--the possibilities are only as endless as your imagination. For all of you that think you can avoid this, I beg to differ. It's being tested all over the world in every way imaginable for research and development purposes. We've been using it ourselves with our "smart cards" and EZ Pass Toll payment stickers, etc... Some more than others are using the technology every single day. If all the talks about a single Identification Card with one of these RFID chips becomes a reality, we will most likely be a cashless society--a society that can be tracked and recorded at all times every day everywhere. Oh, gee, if it's for the common good and for research purposes to be used in the future, by all means, let's do it. I'll be the first to stand in line to have myself turned into a robot or just a number--NOT! |
