RFID Privacy Implications ...

From US Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, & Transportation, Competition, Foreign Commerce, and Infrastructure Hearing, Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Reauthorization
Testimony of Mr. Marc Rotenberg, Executive Director, Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) ...

... "the Commission should begin to consider new technologies that have significant privacy implications for consumers in the marketplace. For instance, RFID, or Radio Frequency Identification chips may enable tracking of individuals in the physical world the same way that cookies do on the Internet. This week Microsoft announced that it plans to support RFID applications in future versions of its software. It would be appropriate for the FTC to begin the process of exploring how these new tracking techniques may affect consumer confidence and whether new safeguards may be required. There is a clear need to enable the Federal Trade Commission to work in cooperation with consumer protection agencies in other countries to investigate and prosecute cross-border fraud and deceptive marketing practices. New legislation will be necessary to accomplish the goal. Nevertheless, the bill should be drafted in such a way so as to safeguard important American values, including procedural fairness, privacy protection, and open government. These principles of good government will assist consumer protection agencies around the world combat cyber fraud, and will help strengthen democratic institutions. " ...

The Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) is a public interest research center in Washington, D.C. It was established in 1994 to focus public attention on emerging civil liberties issues and to protect privacy, the First Amendment, and to promote the Public Voice in decisions concerning the future of the Internet.