CyberGuide
Tiny Tracking Devices
FROM: MAY-JUN 2004 ISSUE | BY ROBIN DAY
The age-old warning, "wash that fruit, you don't know where it's been", may no longer be true if the use of radio frequency identification devices (RFID) takes off the way some industry watchers are predicting. These tiny transmitters could facilitate inexpensive, accurate tracking of individual items, leading to improved inventory management capabilities and reduced costs.
Find out more about RFIDs by visiting these online resources:
http://www.rfidjournal.com/article/articleview/207#anchor#002
This page contains a series of frequently asked questions about RFIDs. It's a great starting point to get up to speed on the terminology associated with this technology.
http://www.aimglobal.org
The Association for Automatic Identification and Mobility (AIM) goes beyond RFIDs to provide information on different technologies that can be used for product tracking. Included on this site are dozens of case studies.
http://transpondernews.com
If you are interested in the more technical aspects of RFIDs, this site is a great resource. But if you are intimidated by the concept of using "a modulating retroreflector as a passive radar transponder," this site may be downright frightening!
http://www.epic.org/privacy/rfid
The Electronic Privacy Information Center site contains an in-depth article on the potential of RFIDs, and outlines some privacy-related concerns.
http://www.securityfocus.com/columnists/169
On this site, Scott Granneman's article entitled "RFID Chips Are Here" provides an interesting perspective on the potential for reduced privacy because of increased use of RFIDs.
One last reminder — even if you know where your fruit has been, you still need to wash it!
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Robin Day, MBA, CGA, teaches financial management at the British Columbia Institute of Technology. He is also president of Virtual Information Technologies Inc.E-mail rday@virtualit.ca.