Last Sunday, my family got a new puppy. We’ve had him a week and believe me, I could bore you to tears with stories already, but that’s not the purpose of this article.
When we picked out little Bosco at the pet store, we were shown how, if he is ever lost, with the wave of a digital wand he can “tell” anyone who finds him who his owners are.
This is because he has a small Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) chip implanted in his back that contains our address and phone number. It’s a practice that has become common and well-liked among pet owners, and it’s safe, quick and almost painless for the dog.
Still, I couldn’t help but think about the ways that RFID has slowly been creeping into our everyday lives. Do you have a credit card? How about a passport or an I-PASS? These are just a few of the things that have been targeted for (or already contain) RFID chips.
Think of it as a tiny microchip fingerprint that has the potential to store any or all information you provide it. According to cNet, one New Jersey man has even elected to have an RFID chip implanted in himself, filled with important medical information that could save his life in an emergency.
RFID is marketed as convenient: the chips are microscopic, easy to insert in technology or flesh, and can provide huge amounts of information in barely seconds, as long as you have the equipment to read it.
But RFID has been met with a significant amount of fear and protest. Many argue the chip reeks of a government sponsored Big Brother tracking system, and chips may soon be mandatory. Many religious protesters view the chip as the “mark of the beast” warned against in the Bible. Other concerns, including identity theft, have been raised.
So how safe is RFID? The chips are miniscule and emit virtually no power (it’s the scanner that does the work.) Because of this, the information has a very short range, meaning someone would have to be incredibly close to the chip to scan the information stored on it.
Also, the information on RFID chips is currently limited to their immediate purpose. The chip implanted in the New Jersey man, for example, only contains a small bit of medical information about his condition and nothing else.
Still, with the speed at which technology progresses, we may soon find ourselves in an unavoidable struggle against RFID. Although RFID may seem innocuous right now, it has the potential to expand. They could one day contain your credit card information, Social Security number, medical files, police records, and more. Motivated criminals may find a way to “hack” the chips.
Technically speaking, the government could track us one day. If nothing else, there is something to be said about selective anonymity and the ability to retain your privacy by choice.
As long as we’re aware of RFID and make sure it is not allowed to step over the thin line it’s treading on, RFID can continue to be used in a positive way. But keep your eyes on this technology and stay weary. We may not see the problem until it’s being implanted inside us.