| Imagine a time in the near future when you enter a | | | | capture what you like to eat, what brands of |
| mall for a day of shopping. As you enter that mall, a | | | | clothes,cologne, perfume, and shoes you prefer. It will |
| tiny RFID scanner near the entrance captures the | | | | know about the magazines and books you read, the |
| pulse from the hidden RFID tag sewn into the jacket | | | | stores you visit, and the length of your shopping time in |
| that you are wearing. The information captured by that | | | | each. It will also show how many items you bought |
| scanner is sent to a transactional database and within | | | | that were on sale. In fact, an analysis of your buying |
| seconds your complete identity, and the location and | | | | habits compared with millions of other similar people in |
| date that you purchased that jacket, is captured. As a | | | | the database, could even be able to predict other |
| result, the "mall" knows that you have just arrived and, | | | | things that you may like to buy. |
| through the use of other RFID scanners (located | | | | Then, that retail information profile on you in the |
| throughout the mall), begins to track your every | | | | database can be used as a solicitation source. It could |
| movement. | | | | be used for target advertisements to your cell phone, |
| Your first stop in the mall that day is to buy a new | | | | landline telephone, email address, mailing address, or |
| coffee maker. You decide that Wal-Mart is the retail | | | | even after entering a store, through the personal |
| establishment to shop at first. Through the RFID | | | | solicitation from a store employee. |
| scanner and that hidden tag sewn into the label in your | | | | Of course many readers may by now be thinking that |
| jacket, the information concerning your visit and your | | | | this is all too far fetched. Maybe someday in the |
| length of time in Wal-Mart will be captured by the | | | | distant future, but certainly not today. I will tell you that |
| readers located in the mall. | | | | this future may be a lot closer than you think. This fact |
| However, RFID technology is also used at Wal-Mart | | | | becomes clear when you look at the RFID patent |
| and the tracking of your every move will continue | | | | requests of several large U.S. corporations that include |
| even after you leave the mall through Wal-Mart's | | | | IBM, NCR, American Express, and Proctor and |
| in-store scanners. Upon entering the store, Wal-Mart | | | | Gamble. Based on their patent requests, it is clear that |
| knows you are there. A screen brings up your identity, | | | | a future based on RFID tags may indeed become our |
| transaction history, and profile. Soon, a store employee | | | | reality very soon. |
| whom you have never met or seen before | | | | Consider the abstract of the RFID pending patent |
| approaches you and welcomes you. He addresses | | | | request ( 20020165758 ) from International Business |
| you by your first name as though he has known you | | | | Machines called, "Identification and tracking of persons |
| as a friend for years. He asks if he can help you | | | | using RFID-tagged items" as an example. The IBM |
| today. | | | | abstract description reads: "A method and system for |
| This store "greeter" has already seen through the | | | | identifying and tracking persons using RFID-tagged |
| (RFID) transactional database that you bought a Norah | | | | items carried on the persons. Previous purchase |
| Jones CD the last time you were at Wal-Mart. He | | | | records for each person who shops at a retail store |
| mentions that the store has just received her newest | | | | are collected by POS terminals and stored in a |
| CD. He also knows, through a database analysis of | | | | transaction database. When a person carrying or |
| millions of people with a buying history similar to yours, | | | | wearing items having RFID tags enters the store or |
| that a large percentage of people that listen to Norah | | | | other designated area, a RFID tag scanner located |
| Jones also enjoy music from Diana Krall and drink | | | | therein scans the RFID tags on that person and reads |
| white wine. He suggests both items to you as good | | | | the RFID tag information. The RFID tag information |
| buys in the store today. He also offers to sign you up | | | | collected from the person is correlated with transaction |
| for the store credit card since he knows that you | | | | records stored in the transaction database according |
| usually purchase items using cash. | | | | to known correlation algorithms. Based on the results |
| As you move through Wal-Mart, every aisle that you | | | | of the correlation, the exact identity of the person or |
| visit continues to be monitored due to the | | | | certain characteristics about the person can be |
| communication between the in-store scanners and | | | | determined. This information is used to monitor the |
| that hidden tag sewn into your jacket. Finally, you | | | | movement of the person through the store or other |
| decide that you want to buy the Braun coffee maker | | | | areas". |
| that is on sale and that newly released Norah Jones | | | | RFID technology is not new and has been used in the |
| CD. Since you have never had a drink of white table | | | | United States for many years in various business and |
| wine, you buy a bottle to try something new. | | | | military operations. RFID technology has been |
| The store rings up the sale by scanning the RFID tags | | | | especially invaluable when utilized as barcodes in |
| on the coffeemaker, wine, and CD. All of the data | | | | inventory control and management. Today, by using |
| concerning these new purchases immediately | | | | RFID tags (also known as microchips), you can even |
| becomes stored with all your prior purchases in the | | | | store your health records as an implanted chip inside |
| RFID transactional database. The database knows | | | | your own body. In addition, government has proposed |
| everything about these new purchases; the fact that | | | | a future use of RFID tags in drivers licenses, passports, |
| you bought a Braun coffeemaker at Wal-Mart, how | | | | and even border crossing identification cards. These |
| much you were willing to pay, and that you like to | | | | future applications of RFID tags could well compromise |
| purchase products when they are on sale. It also | | | | our personal security and be an invasion of our privacy |
| captures the purchase of the new CD of Norah Jones | | | | in many aspects of our lives. |
| as well as the bottle of white table wine. It knows that | | | | Indeed, it is the potential use of this next generation of |
| you paid for everything in cash. | | | | RFID technology that is a concern from a security and |
| After these purchases, you leave the store and the | | | | privacy perspective. In the retail world, the intention is to |
| RFID readers in the mall resume tracking and recording | | | | place these enhanced RFID tags in all items including |
| your every retail browsing movement. In fact, the | | | | clothing. As a result, in the future, even the tags in our |
| tracking of your retail experiences and purchases | | | | clothes could become a source of an invasion of our |
| continues to go on in the same manner, day after day, | | | | personal privacy. |
| week after week, store after store. Soon, the RFID | | | | For the retail industry, RFID tags would be an |
| transaction database can tell anyone who would like to | | | | advertising and solicitation dream come true. However, |
| know about all your buying preferences and shopping | | | | for the consumer, it would fast become a security and |
| habits. | | | | invasion of privacy nightmare. |
| Your retail profile from that transaction database will | | | | |