RFID Lowdown

RFID Tags: To Stop A Car Thief

Can RFID tagging stop the theft of luxury cars in Malaysia? That's what the Road Transport Department (RTD) Director-General hopes. The tags that they plan to use will be attached to license plates and be capable of transmitting up to 100 meters. What's more, the battery is expected to last 10 years. Handheld scanners at roadblocks could then be used to identify stolen vehicles. [IHT via Slashdot]

This is a different approach for an automotive application than in South Korea where cars in certain areas will be tagged as a traffic control measure, to ensure that only authorized drivers are allowed in certain metro areas on specific days. RFID use in the automotive sector is expected to grow by 20% per year between 2006 and 2010.

RFID-enabled ID cards may not be a very good idea says The Smart Card Alliance

In October this year the US Department of state announced its plans to use RIFD chips for a proposed card that would be issued as part of the Western Sphere Travel Initiative (WHTI). Under this initiative it is planned that all Americans traveling to Mexico, Canada, the Caribbean and Bermuda will have to show some form of personal identification from now on. This identification would necessarily have to be approved by Department of Homeland Security. This ID proof will be required by those individuals who do not have passports for verifying their identity at land and sea border crossings.

However a non profit industry body representing several large vendors of smart-card and RFID technologies, the Smart Card Alliance, has urged the department to reconsider its proposal. The body has indicated that long-range RFID technologies are vulnerable to snooping and forgery. As such they feel that it may pose great security and privacy concerns.  Computer World reports:

In its notice, the State Department said it would use "vicinity read" RFID technology in the cards rather than the "proximity read" contactless smart-card technology being incorporated into new ePassports.”

Sequiam Biometric Deadbolt Lock

In what's claimed to be a first, Sequiam Biometrics is offering a biometric deadbolt lock, BioLock, for home use. A swipe of an authorized finger through a scanner grants access. The lock runs on double AA batteries and has a numeric keypad that makes it easy to manage users. [TMCNet via SecureID News]

While fingerprint biometrics probably tends to be met with caution by the average consumer because of its negative connotations, I can see something like this being more welcome than, say, the implantation of an RFID chip in the hand - like Amal Graftstra did when he grew tired of carrying house keys, and Mikey Sklar did purely for experimental reasons. Furthermore, the BioLock appears relatively easy to use, and biometric information seems to be stored only locally. It can even be set to allow one-time entries on a specific day, at a specific time.

Reasons To Tag Air Passenger Baggage

Airlines are suffering from an increased loss of passenger baggage lately, apparently since the US and UK foiled a terrorist plot in early August. As a result, more bags are being checked manually, which the system is unable to handle. Lost baggage costs airlines US$2.5B annually, and financially-troubled airlines are may be cutting corners. (Doesn't it make you wonder what happens to the 200,000 or so unrecovered bags yearly?)

Part of the problem is that in some countries, airlines handle the baggage checking process, and in others the airports. The decision as to who will cover the cost does play a factor, as item-level tagging isn't cheap. Since reusability is important, tags then have to be durable for years of use. Still, in today's atmosphere of fear, many passengers and most airlines likely see baggage tagging as an eventuality

[additional sources: Scripps News]

More Aeronautical RFID Applications

Airlines, airports, aircraft manufacturers are already using RFID for a variety of purposes including baggage tagging, customer ticketing, parts maintenance monitoring. Now, the airline Flybe is using radio frequency technology to tag onboard safety equipment. Items such as lifejackets and safety manuals being tagged means that it's easy to quickly verify their presence onboard using handheld readers. This means quicker turnaround times for each plane to be marked as safety-ready for flight.

Since RF technology reduces the required manual labor of safety checks, the cost of the procedure is reduced. [via Computing UK] Such asset management of onboard items is likely to catch on with other airlines and might give budget operations such as Flybe more of a competitive edge financially.

European RFID Market Growing

Uses of RFID in the European market are expected occur in a number of growth areas including logistics, supply chain, mass transportation, libraries, and pharmaceuticals. The biggest expenditures are expected to be in logistics and supply chain, pharmaceuticals, and mass transportation, in decreasing order of expenditure. This is by 2009, when total RFID expenditures in Europe will be estimated to be just under US$2B. Germany and the UK will make up about 40% of this market. [via PR Minds]

Other reports indicate that Europeans in general have concerns about privacy issues relating to RFID. So the primary hurdle towards reaching the above market estimations would be addressing these issues to the satisfaction of citizens.

RFID Lowdown - Sat Nov 25, 2006

New Airline Bagging Tagging Chip
Delta Airlines is testing a new RFID baggage tagging solution called BagChip from RFID Ltd. The system is expected to cut down on lost baggage which estimated at around 800,000 pieces yearly, costing US$100M annually. Each BagChip tag is about US$10. [Business Wire via Biz Yahoo]

Medline RFID For Surgical Sponges
Medline Industries is the latest company to offer an RFID system for tracking surgical sponges. Such sponges are used during operations and have a tendency to be left behind under the stress of some surgeries. Medline's system also works with surgical gauze and towels. [via RFID Journal]

South Korea Certifies ThingMagic
ThingMagic's Mercury4 RFID reader has been certified [RFID News] for use in South Korea, and is already being used for a number of applications including airline, high-security, and casinos. Mercury4 functions on EPC Gen 2 technology.

RFID Lowdown Blogger Featured On CBC TV

Canada's CBC Network has a news program called Canada Now which ran a segment on Thur Nov 23, 2006, about RFID-enabled contactless credit cards. I was one of the people interviewed for the segment. Instructions on where to find it are below.

Their angle was the security issues of contactless credit cards. I don't mind that they only used 1/6th of the content they taped me for, but the few seconds they did use makes me seem a bit like a digital hayseed, so to speak. That's only because they left out two crucial bits of info that I offered:

(1) The data from contactless credit cards might be skimmable, as per the recent NY Times article, but the likelihood of someone going around in the average city and doing that is probably fairly slim.

(2) Anyone having one of these contactless credit cards, no matter what generation card, should probably use an anti-RF sleeve or wallet to block out unauthorized readers. Better safe than sorry, and it's not like these things are all that expensive.

I'm hoping CBC TV runs another segment with more info. These sleeves should come standard with your credit card.

You can see the video (WMV format) at http://www.cbc.ca/video/. Click on the button that says "Canada NOW" and view the first 30 sec or so. The host's name is Ian Hanumansingh. If you see him, it's the right video. I'm in the intro, but the full segment starts at around 16:35 or so. The reporter's name is Havard Gould. It'll be removed from the main page Friday night (Nov 24), but will probably be available elsewhere on the site, though you'll have to find it - probably under the reporter's name.

IBM RFID Retail Privacy Tags

To assuage consumers concerned about their privacy after purchasing merchandise with RFID tags, IBM and Marnlen came up with something called a clipped tag. This RFID tag is designed so that after an item is purchased at a retailer, a portion of the tag can literally be torn off, thereby reducing the read range of the section left on the merchandise.

Sounds great, right? The tag is about ready to go into production, despite a lack of customers. Though IBM and Marnlen are in discussions with retailers in North American and Europe. But RFID Hack, a blogger, says that this "clipped tag" from IBM is more about marketing than privacy.

Read the article for more details, but the crux of the matter is that these tags still do not protect consumer privacy (someone can still scan your purchases discreetly, but need to do it closer than 30 feet now), and that an anti-RF shopping bag would do a better job. However, as RFID Hack says, such bags would void merchant security systems. The reason the tags are left otherwise intact is supposedly so that the consumer can return the item if necessary, and the merchant's system will be able to credit them by scanning the still active tag.

Protecting Laptop Computers With RFID

With all the government other laptops that have been reported stolen in the US in the past year, it's about time that a solution was devised. Enter Vector Networks' VAL (Vector Asset Locator) RFID-based asset management solution. Each asset, such as a laptop, is tagged and readers set up strategically. If an asset is moved out of a certain area or moved by an unauthorized user, the IT department of a company or other organization would be alerted almost immediately. This is done by associating the RFID tag of an asset with the RFID tag of an employee id card. Asset locations can be viewed from within the software.

VAL is new functionality that has been added to Vector AM (Asset Management) Professional, an IT asset management solution.

[additional sources:  Home Business Wire, Internet News]

More About Facial Recognition Systems

A hybrid RFID/ biometric facial recognition system called TETRAGATE debuted recently which had astounding specs: the ability to scan 60,000 faces in one second and recognize people at 60 feet. A similar system is being tested in Germany by their BKA (Bundeskriminalamt) and applied to crimefighting. One attempt to blow up trains was already thwarted using the system, which recognized the faces of known criminals. While that's a noble use of the system, I'm wondering how long it'll be before a more advanced system gives us a society like that of Philip K. Dick's Minority Report, to give us a machine version of the precogs that "see" a crime before it's committted.

RFID Journal has more details of the German test.

RFID to Tame Raging Bushfires

-- By Pushpa Sathish, Staff Writer

Australian bushfires are infamous for the destruction and devastation they leave in their wake. Uncontrolled fires can spread across the outback in a matter of minutes devouring everything in their paths. A new sensor based on RFID technology is now hoping to stop these wild fires in their tracks before they can blaze out of control.

The TPX-VRF sensor is capable of sensing fires and alerting the fire brigade within two minutes, according to its developer, wireless communications company Telepathx Ltd. CEO James Eades claims that this device is the “first real-time, early warning fire mapping solution” available. The sensors, which are pending patents, are robust, being capable of remote detection of excess ambient, convected or radiated heat, 24 hours of a day, for 10 to 12 years, without needing maintenance or management.

They are activated on a difference of two degrees from the initial settings; using their isolated power supply and active RFID transmission system, they alert fire personnel to the presence of a bushfire within minutes of its germination. The system differs from geospatial and aerial reconnaissance systems; it is terrestrial based which makes it ideal for locating fires accurately.

Priced a bit on the steep side, these sensors cost around $(US)1500 per kilometer (around 0.62 miles), depending on the number of sensors in the distance.

Dog's Best Friend - RFID Chips?

Dr. Katherine Albrecht, co-author of the book SpyChips, explains why RFID chip implants may work for pets but not for humans. She points to a Houston Chronicle article about a dog that strayed 1,400 miles but was returned to its owner thanks to its microchip. (Though there are even older stories of dogs lost on vacation who found their own way home, thanks to some innate homing ability.) Dr. Albrecht says that it's stories like this make people thinking implanted chips can be used to "find anything that goes missing."

Since RFID does not work like GPS (Global Positioning System) devices, and implanted chip read ranges are about twelve inches, an implant cannot be used to find a kidnapped child, lost or captured soldier, etc. I have to agree with her assessment, and it's my primary reason for feeling that this "let's chip everyone" agenda of some groups such as VeriChip Corp. is pure and utter crap, and more of an attempted cash-grab than for any legitimate reason. (Do the math and figure out how much companies stand to gain if they can scare people into accepting a law that forces all human beings to get chipped.)

A few years back before I knew much about RFID beyond my experience with a certain contactless payment card, I wrote a large series of post-cyberpunk short stories set in a futuristic America (USNA - United States of North America = USA and Canada combined), where scanners are placed in a mesh-network formation all over cities, and a band of microchipped rebels manage to escape and find a way to jam the scanners. Short of a society with RFID readers placed in close formation, I don't think implanting people with microchips will have any real functional use, beyond maybe identifying the dead during disaster recovery.

Free RFID EBook: TheVeriChip.com

--By Raj Dash, Staff Writer

TheVeriChip.com is a website offering two free documents (in single e-book) offering to reveal "the truth" about the VeriChip. VeriChip Corporation has an RFID microchip that has been designed to be implanted into people - and approved by the FDA for medical applications.

Since then, the VeriChip has caused a storm of controversy amongst civil libertarians and as a result, average citizens. Applications of the chip to date, around the world, has been for identifying dead bodies during disaster recovery (including Hurricane Katrina), volunteers for implant (including the chronically ill), as well as involuntary use (though not confirmed) amongst prisoners and the mentally ill. And even accidental use of microchips, though not the VeriChip itself. Not to mention, suggestions that the VeriChip be used for US soldiers, to replace the dog tag.

A quick scan of the ebook shows that they discuss all of the companies financially related to VeriChip Corporation, as well as the uses of the microchip. They also have a number of updates on the website, including one that is sure to fan the flames of controversy: an 11 year old girl whose parents are making her get chipped for fear that she might be kidnapped. (Prior research shows that the vast majority of childnappings are perpetrated by a disgruntled parent before or after a separation or divorce. It is otherwise rare.)

That said, I have not read the ebook yet, so I cannot vouch for any of the information inside.

AIM Global RFID Position Statement

--By Raj Dash, Staff Writer

AIM Global, a non-profit industry trade association with a focus on automatic identification technologies, published a "position statement" RFID solutions and issues. In the paper, AIM Global expressed their support for the use of item-level tagging for supply chain use, especially in promoting a secure food chain and for pharmaceutical pedigreeing.

They did not take a stance on whether HF (high frequency) or UHF (ultra high frequency) tags were the better solution, saying that both have their place. In addition, they plan to fund efforts to remove artificial regulatory barriers and promote education of RFID. Get more details from the position paper (free registration required). [via RFID Solutions Online]

Verifying Babies’ Identity with VeriChip

-- By Pushpa Sathish, Staff Writer

Cartoons and comic books formed a large part of my childhood, not because I was addicted to them, but because my siblings and numerous cousins drew sustenance from them. I remember one in particular though, featuring “that wascally rabbit” Bugs Bunny and Yosemite Sam. Born as two sets of twins to two couples, as babies, they are switched because of a collision between the parents at the hospital. The rest is pure humor according to convoluted comic-book logic.

This snippet rose to the forefront of my memories when I came across news that more than 20,000 babies are switched at hospitals in the United States every year. To make sure that this number decreases considerably, the VeriChip Corporation has introduced its Hugs infant protection system for hospitals. The RFID-based application provides hospitals with protection against infant abduction and mother-infant mix-ups.

The system is now being deployed at hospitals in the Middle East too, reads an announcement from VeriChip. The company’s international dealer Austco Communications Systems is installing the solution at the Royal Hayat Hospital in Jabriya, Kuwait, and at the International Medical Center and the Security Forces Hospital in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

VeriChip also offers RFID-based systems for use in situations that demand emergency response and for wander-proof measures. Elderly patients can be confined, without restrictions, within safe locations with RoamAlert and WatchMate, while MyCall allows housebound patients to summon help when accidents happen.

Visit the VeriChip website for more information.

RFID Lowdown - Wed Oct 11, 2006

--By Raj Dash, Staff Writer

Jamaican RFID Toll Highway
Jamaica is currently working on a new Highway, 2000, which has a 21-lane toll plaza. Payment options include TransCore's eGo RFID sticker tag. The high-speed passive tags are applied to a car's windshield, operate at 915Mhz, have a read range of 31.5 feet (9.6m), and 2Kbits of read/write memory. [via BusinessWire] RFID has been use in toll collection in North America for at least a decade, possibly longer, and has been spreading in use to Europe, Asia, and South America as well.

China Investing In 20 RFID Programs
The Chinese government's Ministry of Science and Technology had listed 20 major RFID programs in 5 key areas, which will get a total of RMB128 Mln (=~ US$16.17M; RMB = Renminbi = Chinese Yuan) in funding. [via China Tech News]

Virginia Port Authority To Get RFID Tech
The Virginia Port Authority will be getting RFID technology to manage cargo container shipments. The technology is being installed by Savi Networks, which is a joint venture between Savi Technology (owned by Lockheed Martin) and Hutchison Port Holdings. Savi Networks has also installed other RFID systems for other port authorities around the world. [via Trading Markets]

Pharmaceutical RFID Strategies

With the FDA deadline looming near for US-based pharmaceutical companies to e-pedigree a select range of their products, a number of trials are already ongoing, despite the otherwise delayed implementation in the industry. Pfizer is one company that has a Viagra anti-counterfeiting pilot project running, which has resulted in over 2M bottles of Viagra being tagged.

Their strategy is interesting, using all of item-, case- and pallet-level RFID tags. However, they do not necessarily validate all item-level tags. They do, however, structure tagging in using a hierarchy, so that a particular item-level tag can be associated with its original case or pallet. They state that they do not include the NDC (National Drug Code) number on item-level tags for security reasons. Barcodes are included as backup. (They've had a tiny percentage of "dead" tags.) [via RFID Journal]

This code hierarchy allows for the tracking of indvidual bottles. So, if a bottle is sold somewhere, and its parent case/ pallet tag does not match the pharmacy a shipment was sent to, this can easily be determined.

As for what type of RFID is most suitable for the pharmaceutical industry, it's expected that they will eventually move to NF UHF (Near-Field Ultra High Frequency) via a hybrid path of HF-UHF first. That's according to Venture Development Corp, a market research firm. This is because UHF works better in liquids and metals than HF, reads faster, and encodes tags faster. There are still technical issues to be worked out before EPC Gen 2 tags are widely available at reasonable prices. But a report from late last year, by ABI Research, indicates that the cost of UHF tech will drop.

RFID Privacy Issues: No End In Sight?

Sara Scafe Toole writes at OpEdNews that there is probably no end in sight to the privacy issues surrounding RFID, which includes smart cards, and e-passports. Her prediction:

...what is to come will be very intrusive, and invasive to allof our privacy; here in the US, and everywhere else.

She starts by pointing out that the US State Dept has already moved their old deadline of Dec 31st to Oct 26th for all passports, which are ICAO-compliant, to be embedded with RFID. This is despite reports that the information from said chips can be intercepted and cloned, according to experiments conducted by various security experts. It's possible that influential people might become security targets at airports.

Toole's recommendation, which is the same as many others, is to get a new passport now, before the changeover. It takes a day in most US cities, and while you may eventually have to get it replaced with a chipped version, at least you'll have a bit of delay.

Keep in mind that her article is an op-ed (opinion-editorial) piece.