Responsible RFID: Is Item Level Necessary?

Implementing RFID Responsibly, Calling for a Technology Assessment: Testimony submitted to the Federal Trade Commission RFID Workshop, Washington, D.C. by Beth Givens, Director Privacy Rights Clearinghouse ...

... "Can many of the benefits of RFID be accomplished without resorting to the placement of a unique identifier, called the Electronic Product Code (EPC), on each and every consumer product that is released into the marketplace? For example, one benefit of RFID that has been touted is to label toxic materials contained inside computer products, such as components containing lead or nickel-cadmium. This application of RFID could make it much easier to separate out such materials when they are headed for the landfill. Yet, such materials do not need the fully unique identifier, only a generic tag that emits the code for lead or for nickel-cadmium. There may be many other ways to benefit from the RFID technology without embedding unique identifiers on each and every product, right down to each individual can of Coke, for example." ...