[e-privacy] Commission launches public consultation on radio frequency ID tags

[Andrea Glorioso]

http://europa.eu.int/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/06/289

IP/06/289

Brussels, 9 March 2006
Commission launches public consultation on radio frequency ID tags

Radio Frequency Identification Devices (RFID), which will soon replace
bar codes  in your  supermarket,  offer tremendous  opportunities  for
business   and  society. But  their power   to  report their location,
identity  and history also  raises   serious concerns about   personal
privacy and  security,   as well  as technical   interoperability  and
international compatibility.  To  address   these concerns -  some  of
which may  well  require   legislative  responses -  ,  the   European
Commission  today launched a  comprehensive public consultation with a
high-level  Conference on RFID    at the CeBit   2006  trade  fair  in
Hannover, Germany.

"RFID tags  are far cleverer than  traditional bar codes. They are the
precursors of a  world  in  which  billions of  networked objects  and
sensors  will report  their   location, identity,   and history"  said
Information Society  and Media  Commissioner Viviane   Reding.  "These
networks and devices will link  everyday objects into an `internet  of
things' that will greatly enhance economic  prosperity and the quality
of life. But as with any breakthrough, there is  a possible downside -
in this case,  the implications of RFID  for  privacy. This is  why we
need to build a society-wide consensus on the future  of RFID, and the
need  for credible safeguards.   We  must harness the technology   and
create the right opportunities for its use for the wider public good."

The European Commission last   year established an RFID  inter-service
group   to   co-ordinate  the   gathering,  analysis     and  internal
dissemination of   information  concerning  RFID  technology  and  its
uses. Building  on this, the Commission  has started today to launch a
wide public debate on the opportunities and challenges associated with
RFID. To exploit the economic potential of  RFID, privacy and consumer
concerns associated with  the use  of  RFID tags  need  to be  handled
constructively, with  the assent of  all stakeholders. Furthermore, to
enable RFID  to deliver on its potential  for  growth and jobs, Europe
needs to  agree   on common   technical  standards,   to ensure   RFID
interoperability  across borders, and  also on a common radio spectrum
band for RFIDs to use.

The public debate  on RFID launched by  the Commission today will rely
on  a series of workshops to  build consensus on key issues associated
with the use of RFID. These workshops  will address RFID applications,
end-user issues,   interoperability   and  standards,  and   frequency
spectrum requirements. They will take place  in Brussels between March
and  June  2006   and their  conclusions    will  assist the  European
Commission in drafting a working document  on RFID. This document will
be  published   in September  in  an online   consultation. Additional
feedback obtained will then be analysed and integrated in a Commission
Communication on RFID, to be adopted before the end of the year.

This feedback could   lead  to amendments of   the e-privacy-Directive
which is up for review this year. The  Communication will also address
the need for other legislative measures for RFID, such as decisions on
allocation of spectrum.

The Commission is at the same time  stepping up its exchanges with the
USA   and    Asia   on   RFID technologies,   in     order  to  define
globally-accepted interoperability standards and practices with regard
to data privacy and ethical principles when applying the technology.

Finally,   the  Commission  is  also planning     to  support, in  the
forthcoming Seventh Framework Programme for Research and Technological
Development, technology and   innovative applications that bring us  a
step closer to the "Ambient Intelligent Society".

For more information:

- DG INFSO website "Towards a RFID Policy for Europe"

http://europa.eu.int/information_society/policy/rfid/index_en.htm

-  CEBIT Fair Hannover, "The Revolution  of RFID - Changes and Options
   for Action"

http://www.cebit.de/34733?usertyp=1&highlight=Reding&x=1

See also MEMO/06/112

+++

Ciao,

--
Andrea Glorioso		andrea at digitalpolicy.it
                        +39 348 921 4379
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