Debunking RFID Misinformation

Filed in archive RFID Basics on May 25, 2005

I have not written about using RFID in driver's licenses or the REAL ID act passed by the U.S. House of Representatives, for two reasons:

(1) I've learned that a surprising amount of commentary and even news reports about RFID are uninformed... and sometimes flat-out wrong. It pays to wait until the facts emerge.

(2) That's doubly true when there is a hint of a privacy issue that can be blown out of proportion for quick PR value.

So it was with great interest that yesterday I stumbled upon two articles written by AIM Global taking the gloves off against a well-known security consultant who has been talking about RFID in driver's licenses and the REAL ID act.

The articles appear on the AIM Global website. They look and feel similar to blog postings, but without the ability for readers to comment. (I wish AIM Global would just implement a blog! Come on guys, "be not afraid.")

In any event, I urge you to read the articles. One is called The Real "REAL ID" Issue and says of the consultant "he proves himself to be less than expert with RFID technology." It goes on to debunk certain misinformation about the REAL ID act.

In another, Editorial: The Ethos of Panic and Doom,
AIM Global does a takeoff on Letterman and offers its own Top Ten list to wannabe technology gurus:

"It seems as if the path to instant notoriety as a technology guru these days is to find fault -- real or imagined -- with some form of RFID. RFID is a hot topic and one that most people don't (or won't) understand, which makes it easy to misrepresent. So, for those who'd like to become an overnight celebrity, herewith, the 10 ten things you need to do to become a messenger of panic and doom."

Both articles bring a much needed voice of sanity to the privacy debates swirling around RFID.