Hackers' RFID Demonstration is Good News

Filed in archive Privacy and Security on August 9, 2005

RFID was the subject of a claimed world record this year at the Defcon hackers conference. Some young men from a company called Flexillis claimed to have set a world record when they read RFID tags from 69 feet (21 meters).

You really have to hand it to the people who attend Defcon. They put on demonstrations to illustrate the vulnerabilities in systems that the rest of us use and rely upon. With any luck these demonstrations lead to improved security for us all.

In this case, the demonstration also highlights the physical limitations of RFID, and actually makes me feel less concerned about privacy.

Let's set aside for the moment that we don't know what kind or brand of RFID tags/readers were used or any other information about the experiment. And let's assume that 69 feet is indeed the world record.

I just hope all those who are concerned about privacy remember the distance of 69 feet. Many consumers know very little about RFID technology. They believe tag data can be read from any distance, sometimes miles away or even from the other side of the planet. That leads to all sorts of wild speculation.

Yet, if 69 feet is the world record, then our privacy may be safer than many think.