Advertisment

RFID Privacy: A Western Construct or Luxury?

author-image
DQI Bureau
New Update

On the surface, Western technology seems to keep personal

privacy to a minimum. Sophisticated credit card databases follow the effects of

US consumers' buying power. Citizens have their purchases tracked while they

establish purchasing identities that then become salable public property.

Consumer movement could be examined via locatable automated purchases,

tollbooths, and even cellular location systems indexed against phone and credit

card records. Privacy-aware consumers fight to protect and keep private their

own data: social security and credit card numbers, date of birth,

mothers' maiden names, biometric data, and other means of personal

identification.

Advertisment

In the United States, the government attempts to balance

citizens' privacy concerns with the sophisticated lobbying of the

credit-card-related industries. Privacy laws have emerged that attempt to limit

the information dissemination from these sophisticated databases. However, a

nagging insecurity about the lack of privacy, although an acknowledged part of

life in the United States, is disconcerting to many.

The Lightening Rod



RFID has come to the forefront during a period of heightened political and

economic insecurity. The brilliant minds that conceived and propagated the

vision of ubiquitous RFID probably did not anticipate the backlash that this

insecurity could muster. The fragmented nature of the RFID industry does not

help matters, either. Because of their inability to create a high-profile,

sustained media campaign, RFID industry proponents have been unable to provide

influential voices of calm.

The US media's sensationalistic portrayal of RFID has

resulted in actions unfortunate for responsible RFID industry proponents. Key

regulations in various US states are now being proposed as prophylactic

measures, without necessarily giving the industry sufficient time to educate and

respond effectively.

Advertisment

The Indian Perspective



India has been discussing a privacy law for some time now. Currently, items

typically associated with an individual's privacy profile-social Security

number, mother's maiden name, date of birth, or fingerprints-are freely

handed out by local citizens. In India, many less educated people use a

thumbprint in lieu of a signature, and all fingers are printed when people

register a land deed at the registrar. Mothers' maiden names are known by most

and dates of births are freely provided and are required by most commercial

organizations. In fact, those who resist giving their birth date or fingerprint

attract glaring stares.

Complex

Interplay of Social Systems and Technology

In Asia, the following

societal predispositions may assist the rapid adoption of RFID:

  • Frequent absence of

    governmental regulation over new types of technologies and industries

  • Lack of a

    historical installed base around technology

  • Cultures that

    don't necessarily view emerging technologies with suspicion

  • Lack of widespread

    public and governmental debate around adoption of new technologies

  • An abundance of

    non-democratic governments

  • The absence of a

    prevalent unfettered press

However, as the citizens of this rapidly growing economy

are also rapidly increasing in buying power, marketing companies, many of which

are unscrupulous in their techniques, are easily extracting information from

unsuspecting consumers to build Western-style databases.

Advertisment

In India, the adoption of credit and smart cards is raising

awareness today of confidentiality and secure access rather than of privacy.

Indians seems to commonly believe that information about oneself is not truly

confidential. In a society where personal information in known by many, Indian

citizens would like confidential and secure access for their financial

transactions first. Personal privacy, although desirable, is usually of lower

priority.

India's closest attempt at pro-privacy legislation is The

Information Technology Act of 2000. This Act includes provisions that cover

unauthorized access and data theft from computers and networks, with a violation

penalty of approximately $2000,000. At the same time, however, the Act does not

have specific provisions for privacy of data.

India's success in the outsourcing business seems to have

hastened consideration of an amendment to the Information Technology Act. New

clauses will be added that will conform to the European Union's Data

Protection Directive and the US Safe Haven privacy norms. Customers in the

United States and Europe are having a positive effect and are primary drivers of

adopting strict security and confidentiality norms.

Advertisment

Privacy Across Asia



China has its own concepts of privacy. Although it is likely to consider

data protection laws for its global clients through a Personal Data Protection

Bill, the personal privacy concerns of Chinese citizens are not expected to

emerge as major issues in the near future.

Japan's primary pro-privacy legislation is the 1998

Act for the Protection of Computer Processed Personal Data. The Personal

Data Protection Bill, passed in 2003, may also have some applicability to RFID

technology deployments. Overall, however, the perception of many in Japan is

that privacy laws are discussed mostly in theory but have less impact on actual

practice.

South Korea is unique in Asia in that it has a seemingly

comprehensive privacy and data protection law. A current (2204) bill aims to

ensure that the government at all levels can collect private information only

with an individual's consent. This bill also specifies that reasons for the

collection of personal information must be stated clearly on relevant documents

and Web sites. Further, Korea's Ministry of Information and Communication

intends to develop; regulations targeted to mobile service providers, which have

thus far avoided privacy laws for tracking users.

Advertisment

Malaysia does not have clear laws that address data

privacy, nor does it adhere to international privacy agreements. The situation

is similar in countries such as Indonesia, Pakistan, and Bangladesh.

It is important to acknowledge that privacy continues to

evolve and is a dynamic concept across Asia countries.

The Government Push



In many ways, today's Asian governments and corporations have a level of

automation that has not been seen in the United States for more than 25 years.

Throughout Asia, there is still an enormous installed base of paper records.

Advertisment

On the other hand, many Asian governments are rushing ahead

and could soon surpass the United States in their adoption of information

technology and so-called e-Governance initiatives, For example, the Indian and

Chinese governments are planning to create huge databases to provide smart

electronic identity cards to all citizens. When they do, hundreds of millions,

if not billions, of consumers will instantly be using RFID-based technology via

smart cards on a daily basis

Because of

their inability to create a high-profile, sustained media campaign, RFID

industry proponents have been unable to provide influential voices of calm

Cultural Predisposition of Technology



Unlike the United States and its counterparts, most developing countries

have not experienced decades of widespread technology adoption, and thus, lack a

comparative “installed base” of technology adoption experience.

Advertisment

Rather, technology adoption has been associated with form,

function, and consumer status or “fashion”. Technology is popularly

associated with the application that it leverages rather than the technology

itself. As an example, many Asians have adopted cell phones for status, form,

and function more rapidly than Americans have. Not only are cell phones

“cool”, they also provide the voice-to-voice communication that is so

important to the cultures of many countries in the region. The status-conscious

Asian has also begun to associate adoption of new technologies as a key status

differentiator. The actual technology behind the phones is vastly secondary.

Establishment of National Identities



Countries are increasingly using specialized technology as a means to

establish and leverage competitive national identities. A recent example is

India's unprecedented leadership in outsourcing.

This industry, now the talk of the international business world, was

nonexistent in the region a few years ago. China has successfully taken a

leadership role in low-cost manufacturing. The Philippines is also aggressively

pursuing outsourcing, as are other counties attempting to establish national

identities in this space.

The World Trade Organization (WTO), with its combined

threat and opportunity for global competition, has also proven to be a strong

catalyst for nations to search for and establish new areas of globally

competitive differentiation.

It is fair to assume that the need for identity-based

personal privacy is not only a Western privilege but perhaps also a Western

construct. Thus, the Asian adoption of RFID technologies will be conditional not

on privacy issues but rather on practicality of the applications that RFID

enables.

Based on excerpts from the Book- RFID Applications,

Security, and Privacy



Chapter-Asia: Billions Awaken To RFID


Author: Bimal Sareen

Advertisment