RFID Review #2
RFID Review is a brief synopsis of events in the RFID industry.
Wisconsin state Governor Jim Doyle signed a law that bans forced RFID microchip implantation. Privacy advocates will no doubt be happy about this move by Wisconsin and other states. Privacy issues with RFID technology are of great concern to privacy advocates such as Katherine Albrecht and Liz McIntyre of Spychips and CASPIAN.
It's an interesting step forward, then, that a number of large companies, including Procter & Gamble and Visa, have recently agreed upon a set of guidelines for the usage of RFID tags. The guidelines are aimed at any company planning to implement RFID technology in their consumer products, and suggest how these companies should inform their customers about the collection of private data.
RFID technology manufacture is slated to be a multi-billion dollar industry over the next decade and beyond. One of the issues that is already cropping up is that there are not enough skilled workers with RFID knowledge for the jobs that are just starting to open up. Middlesex College in the New England area of the United States is offering the first college RFID technician program in the area.
This is positive step forwards for RFID, and no doubt will be echoed by other colleges. I see community colleges being ahead of universities in this regard, as they tend to cater to fast-track program requirements, which the RFID industry is going to need.
Tags: tech-watch, RFID, radio frequency identification
Wisconsin state Governor Jim Doyle signed a law that bans forced RFID microchip implantation. Privacy advocates will no doubt be happy about this move by Wisconsin and other states. Privacy issues with RFID technology are of great concern to privacy advocates such as Katherine Albrecht and Liz McIntyre of Spychips and CASPIAN.
It's an interesting step forward, then, that a number of large companies, including Procter & Gamble and Visa, have recently agreed upon a set of guidelines for the usage of RFID tags. The guidelines are aimed at any company planning to implement RFID technology in their consumer products, and suggest how these companies should inform their customers about the collection of private data.
RFID technology manufacture is slated to be a multi-billion dollar industry over the next decade and beyond. One of the issues that is already cropping up is that there are not enough skilled workers with RFID knowledge for the jobs that are just starting to open up. Middlesex College in the New England area of the United States is offering the first college RFID technician program in the area.
This is positive step forwards for RFID, and no doubt will be echoed by other colleges. I see community colleges being ahead of universities in this regard, as they tend to cater to fast-track program requirements, which the RFID industry is going to need.
Tags: tech-watch, RFID, radio frequency identification
