Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
FIGURE 5.3
Employees take inventory more quickly and make fewer errors when items are
marked with RFID tags.
(© Marc F. Henning/Alamy)
feet away. When bar codes are replaced by RFIDs, checkouts are quicker and companies
track their inventory more accurately (Figure 5.3).
However, because RFIDs are not turned off when an item is purchased, the new
technology has raised privacy concerns. Imagine a workplace full of RFID scanners. A
scanner in your cubicle enables a monitoring system to associate you with the tags in
your clothes. Another scanner picks up your presence at the water cooler. The next thing
you know, your boss has called you in for a heart-to-heart talk about how many breaks
you're taking. Some privacy advocates say consumers should have a way to remove or
disable RFIDs in the products they purchase [34, 35].
In Taiwan, every domesticated dog must contain a microchip implant identifying its
owner and residence [36]. The microchip, about the size of a grain of rice, is implanted
into the dog's ear using a syringe. When a dog gets lost, the authorities can easily retrieve
the address and return the pet to its owner.
Verichip Corporation created an RFID tag approved for use in humans. The com-
pany claimed that 2,000 people worldwide had a Verichip implant. The most common
reason for getting an implanted RFID chip was to allow doctors to learn about the
medical conditions of unconscious patients [37]. However, in some trendy European
nightclubs, patrons have used their implanted RFID chips as in-house “debit cards” for
purchasing food and drinks [38]. After some highly publicized incidents of abducted or
missing children, the media have reported parents ruminating on the idea of implanting
microchip tracking devices in their kids [39, 40].
