Radio Frequency Identification and Privacy: Shopping into Surveillance

Author

George Hariton, John Lawford, Hasini Palihapitiya

Organization

Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC)

Published

2005

Summary

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is a technology that allows people and objects to be identified and tracked via a radio frequency signal. This report looks at privacy issues surrounding the likely use of RFID by major retailers, and suggests limits to these systems consistent with present privacy laws, as well as comments on whether the present privacy law regimes adequately protect consumers from retail surveillance. As this is a new technology, the report will seek to define the new technology, and to report on its applications and likely applications thus far as well as to report on consumer attitudes to the technology. At present, Canada’s private sector Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) does appear to severely limit RFID use for consumer surveillance purposes. RFID technology has caught the eye of Canada’s Office of the Privacy Commissioner (OPCC), which has asked retailers for details of their planned RFID uses.

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OCA Funded Research
This research received funding support through the Office of Consumer Affairs' Contributions Program.

Contact information

Source: Consumer Policy Research Database