Consumer Privacy and Radio Frequency Identification Technology

Radio Frequency ID tags are poised to replace the UPC barcode as a mechanism for inventory control in the wholesale and retail contexts. Yet the tiny chips offer a range of potential uses that go beyond the bar code. In this paper the authors define RFID technology and its applications. They explore the privacy implications of this technology and consider recent attempts in the U.S. and European Union to grapple with the privacy issues raised by the deployment of RFIDs at the retail level. The authors then consider the extent to which Canada's Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act will apply to RFID technology, before making recommendations for initiatives to proactively address the privacy issues that RFIDs will raise.