According to the Information Week, Doncaster-based Hungerhill secondary school has introduced RFID to keep track on the children as an effective step to control behavior of the kids and enhance attendance. The RFID chips are being attached in the school uniforms.

The project has been introduced as an experimental basis involving ten students who wear RFID-enabled uniforms. If the project proves successful, then it will be extended to all the students and perhaps to other British schools.

As we have often argued that human tagged is not acceptable under any conditions due to the privacy factors. The same logic is also applicable here.

A children’s advocacy group, Leave Them Kids Alone has sharply criticized the recent move taken by the Hungerhill School.

It’s founder David Clouter strongly noted,

With pupils being fingerprinted and now this it seems we are treating children in a way that we have traditionally treated criminals.

The Galeria Kaufhof, a German department store, in Essen, is using this new technology, not only to track the clothing but also to suggest the customer other matching attires. This technology runs on the permutation and combination theory.

The system uses a combination with smart shelves and compares with the in stock materials and show choices to a customer. The Metro retailing group stated that the RFID readers are installed in men’s cloth section.

Now it’s for us to see how far this technology helps this group in enhancing their business and sorting out customers’ major problem, picking up the right garments, as well.

Source: zdnet
Image source: zdnet

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has endorsed a Bill that bars forceful implantation of RFID tags into human skins. The Bill will come into force from January next year. The newly enacted legislation restricts companies from forcing their employees to wear RFID tags. The governor signed the debatable Bill this week.

No such technology has faced fierce pubic debate than RFID in recent years due to its shocking privacy concerns.

States like Wisconsin and North Dakota have already introduced similar kind of Bills that forbid human tracking through RFID technology.

Joe Simitian, who introduced the RFID Bill in the Silicon Valley observed that forceful implantation of RFID tags in human skins, is just plain wrong as it breaches privacy of the individual, though the government may consider the implementation of this technology in official documents.

He has aptly said,

RFID technology is not in and of itself the issue. It is a minor miracle, with all sorts of good uses. But we cannot and should not condone forced ‘tagging’ of humans. It’s the ultimate invasion of privacy.

The Bill may put the companies like VeriChip into trouble. The company got governmental nod for human implantation three years ago. More than 2,000 people have been tagged by VeriChip chips last year.

The Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs argued that RFID devices evade privacy and security as the information kept in the tag can be easily read by the third party with a low cost reader.

Via: eWeek

Image: Hacked Gadgets

The TellMate RFID system consists of a scanner and label reader. It uses RFID tags to identify daily used articles.

It comes with three RFID function buttons. The first button is meant for recording descriptions. The second button enables playback the recording and the last button stops the playback.

The RFID system can be put within a few centimeters of the object tag to hear the recording. The device also provides some entertaining services like FM radio and MP3 songs. It also possesses a digital notebook of reminders, observances and lists.

The price of the device is something around $500. It would be marketed in UK and USA.

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The RFID-enabled visas would contain the personal details and thumbprints of the foreign nationals, which would be read by using RFID readers and short messaging system, explains Datuk Wahid Md Don, the Immigration Director General of Malaysia.

With increasing number of foreigners entering Malaysia in each passing years, the government has decided to keep track on them by introducing RFID enabled visas by the end of this year.

As per the available data, Malaysia has more than two million foreign workers, nearly 66,000 students. The tourism sector has also recorded an inflow of 17 million tourists last year.

Recently, Malaysia has introduced the RFID-enabled visas for the foreign workers coming from Bangladesh. The Immigration Department keeps their scanned thumbprints and other personal details in a computer database in Dhaka. The database is transferred to Malaysia for verification before allowing the foreigners to the country.

With the use of RFID equipped document cartons and specially designed RFID equipment, Recall information centres can provide 100 percent enhanced annual in inventory and audit reporting for their customers. Thus they can provide wide range of financial, medical and legal services to organization across Canada.

The company is determined to work with important partner, so that customers can receive with the regulatory demands of industries. With the use of RFID enabled carton, they can easily retrieve the archives of documents whenever they needed.

Russell Skinner, VP Global Integration, Recall Corporation stated that the company is providing a certain level of service with the use of RFID to address a point of non-compliance vulnerability.

Image: WSVN

With new multi RFID reader/writer makes, you can read and write any RFID tag information contained in any product or item by supporting all the major RFID tags. Additionally, the multi-purpose RFID expands its function through the additional installations of new network software.

Generally, RFID is used for corporate activities, namely supply change management (SCM) and traceability for production and distribution. It is expected that the use of multi-RFID device will expand customer relationship management to further link business with customers.

NEC will continue to develop dedicated LSI, which will bring compact and low-cost RFID reader/writer. The device would be embedded with general consumer terminals, like PCs, mobile phones, game machines and stationary terminals at retail stores.

Image: ITU

Germany-based RFID expert, Lukas Grunwald made a shocking revelation that the loopholes in the RFID passports could enable hackers to capture and replica the fingerprint image stored on the biometric e-passport.

Grunwald asserted that he disrupted the two passport readers available from the local vendors by cloning a passport chip, then altering the JPEG2000 image file containing the passport photo.

Grunwald has also discovered the methods to encode a passport chip in a creative way that it essentially attacks the passport-reading equipment when holder attempts to scan it. Using the scanned image and data, they can also make forged passports that are quite similar to genuine ones.

America is the first country to campaign for RFID passports that contain radio frequency chips which enable government officials thwart document forgery and flash out illegal migrants crossing US borders.

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IBM announced the availability of an electronic pedigree system (ePedigree), which will allow pharmaceutical companies to create an electronic certificate of authenticity for every drug, which passes through the supply chain. The ePedigree allows all participants in the drug supply chain, including manufacturers, distributors, pharmacies and hospitals to access historical data on medicine package.

The ePedigree is a new version of IBM’s WebSphere RFID Information Center (RFIDIC), a high performance data repository, which allows users to efficiently manage and securely share information with trading partners to authenticate pharmaceuticals. IBM’s ePedigree uses radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags, which tracks packages of drugs. The new ePedigree offers a flexible ‘track and trace’ framework through standards-based EPC Information Services. Clients would be able to easily access key data elements to solve their business needs like chargeback resolution by generating EPCIS events and queries.

IBM has integrated the Coral8 Engine, complex event processing software from Coral8 with ePedigree, which allows customers to set up rules for supply chains. Additionally the ePedigree, is fully compatible with the EPCglobal Electronic Product Code Information Services (EPCIS) standard. The product also integrates the customer master data systems to provide additional business context by using product, location and supplier information.

According to Chris Clauss, director of sensor information management at IBM Software, the whole system watches and keeps records of medicine history. This system is helpful tool for industry to comply with mandates and various trading requirements.

Image Credit: HTU & MSDN 2

Via: IT Business Edge

The annual earnings of counterfeit drugs are more than $32 billion. The facts and figures tell the gravity of the drug counterfeiting problem prevailing in the world today.

Launching a fight against drug counterfeiting, IBM has introduced an electronic pedigree (ePedigree) system based on RFID technology that tracks drugs that pass through the supply chain before reaching to the customers.

IBM has been developing RFID tags on drug packages to check out the authenticity of a particular substance. The leading drug wholesalers such as AmerisourceBergen Corporation and Cardinal Health Inc are using IBM’s RFID technology in their supply chain managements.

The new ePedigree system developed by IBM will be enabling retailers and distributors to correspond more efficiently with manufacturers over secure networks allowing them to confirm that each package is authentic and not a counterfeit persists in the supply chain.

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A leading provider of Dual-Active Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) and Real Time Location Systems (RTLS) solutions, Axcess International Inc., has launched Active RFID identification system, which provides an automatic personal identification solution. The solution combines hands-free access control with a automatically monitoring ability for the movements of people through the facility.

The ActiveTag RFID identification system is based on patent ActiveTag RFID technology, which offers a variety of advantages like magnetic strips or proximity card readers. The technology allows users to read tags at distances over 35 feet.

The ActiveTag RFID identification system supports many communication protocols, including including serial (RS-232), network (Ethernet TCP/IP) and Wiegand (SIA 26-bit standard). The ActiveTag AVI system provides multi-tag read features, which allows users to simultaneously read multiple personnel tags. The system includes following components, which are given below:

Personnel Credential Tag: The personnel credential tag provides convenient, hands-free identification of personnel for access control, people tracking and resource management applications.

Antenna: It has different antennas for different applications. Each antenna is directly connected with the activator to create coverage zones for a variety of applications including asset and personnel tracking.

Activator: The activator is a stand-alone transmitter, which directly connects an application specific antenna to provide a low frequency activation signal. Then the activator writes its location ID to the tag, which is then re-transmitted along with the unique ID for providing precise location at the time of activation.

Network Receiver: It has serial receiver for network-capable general purpose, which detects tag signals, and convert them into data. Even it also forwards the information to a controller or host application.

Image Credit : Time Access

Via: Ferret

A new half size aluminum RFID inlay would be available in next month, according to Omron Corp, one of the global leader in automation, sensing and control technology. The new half -size HF (13.56MHz) aluminum RFID inlay is approximately 50 percent smaller than its current card sized product. The second product is based on Omron’s V730 HF aluminum range and it is compliance with ISO/IEC 15693 standards.

Omron’s existing card-sized HF aluminum inlay is slightly smaller than an average business or credit card. The extension of aluminum coil antenna RFID inlays includes two HF types and three UHF band types. Initially, Omron has launched aluminum based inlays to complement its copper based products. Now, both aluminum and copper-based RFID inlays are available in card size as well as half size formats.

The HF RFID inlays are used in library management systems, where they are used in labels attached to books. While the card sized labels are used in Europe and Japan, and half size labels are used in some parts of Asia Pacific. The company is cooperating with other companies to provide converted products, including laminated inlays and plastic tags. Additionally, the company is committed to respond flexible customer requests for aluminum-based inlays in formats and shapes other than card-size and half-size.

Image Credit: System & RFID products

Via: Tech On

A leading provider of RFID enabled asset management and supply chain solutions; Fluensee has launched the latest version of browser based yard management solution, named Fluensee Yard solution, which boasts enhanced planning, management and RFID visibility capabilities that makes easy for companies to manage the largest and most complex yard environments.

The new RFID enabled Fluensee Yard software consists an enhanced user interface, which provides a new level of visibility into yard and labor productivity. The comprehensive management software enhances RFID and real-time locating technology to find and manage trailer movements around the yard.

Yard comes with RFID readers, on-board computers with GPS, which allows users to capture real-time trailer information and conduct drive by inventories and instantly communicate the information to the server. The features of Yard are given below:

Real-Time Locating System: It uses RFID and RTLS technology to locate and control trailers and containers to eliminate manual data capture at the gate, yard and remote locations.

Gate Processing and Security: The yard uses RFID technology to support the receipt and exit of equipment into the yard. It reduces check-in and check-out times and also improves security.

Scheduling and Task Management: The software will dynamically assign to work across all current and future jobs through on-board terminals to the optimal yard trucks based on real-time yard conditions and priorities.

Yard Planning and Modeling: The software provides a graphical interface to assist with building effective yard plans. It also enforces rules and streamlines overall yard operations.

Reporting: It provides a variety of management and operational reports, including inbound/outbound shipments, carrier performance, dock productivity, yard utilization, etc.

Image Credit: Market Wire & Fluensee

Via: Managing & Automation

At the very outset, the report claims that the RFID chips have not properly tested, even though the Food and Drug Administration has approved this technology in 2004 in medical use drawing a battle line between the medical practitioners and privacy advocates.

In the report ‘Radio Frequency ID Devices in Humans’, the AMA says that the most critical issue before human ID implantation is privacy. The patients must be ensured that the data collected by using RFID chips will be kept in secrecy.

They must also be protected from embarrassment, potential social discrimination, loss of health care coverage, or other detrimental consequences.

However, the report did not ignore the benefits of RFID technology in the healthcare units. The chips can encourage timely identification of patients and expedite access to their medical information. As a result, there would be minimal error and adverse drug events.

The report concludes:

RFID technology has the potential to improve patient care as well as patient safety. However, the safety and efficacy of human-implantable RFID devices has yet to be established. Therefore, the medical community should support further investigations to obtain the data necessary to make informed medical decisions regarding the use of these devices. The medical community should also be sensitive to potential social consequences of RFID devices, such as non-medical applications in law enforcement.

Read AMA Report and Recommendation:

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In the backdrop of growing concerns over ID implants, the recent legislation introduced in the California state senate has imposed restriction on the forced implantation of RFID chips in human bodies.

The bill introduced by Democratic Senator, Joe Simitian bars an employer from compelling a person to get one of the devices implanted. Thus, the companies cannot issue RFID-equipped badges or ID cards for their employees. The data kept in the RFID devices can be manipulated to track employee’s movement and personal information by using a low-cost monitor.

No sooner the bill tabled in the house, the American Electronics Association has come down heavily on the senator stating,

The technology has been in existence for more than 50 years. It’s in more than 1.2 billion ID credentials worldwide. ... We’ve not seen a single showing of ID theft or harm.

Privacy of an individual should not be interfered by this latest technology. At the same time, we cannot also deny the contribution of RFID to various sectors from healthcare to agriculture to defense and retail. Therefore, it is high time for us to patch up the loopholes in the RFID technology.

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