Discussing the news (Microchips everywhere: a future vision)
Eduardo Rocha
I would like to discuss another theme with you this week. I just read
a article on Washington Post (a little long, but very interesting)
about a technology that can be used to track people:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/26/AR2008012601126_pf.html
The name of this technology is RFID. Many of you should already know
that it is a chip with a antenna which permits to track products like
books, passports, and many others. In the future many more products
should use RFID. The article presents some advantages in using this
technology such as reduce theft, guarantee authenticity, keep track of
expiration date, etc. But the article also say that these informations
can be used in a bad way, i.e. allowing governments and other people
track the customers and keep record of their behaviors.
So, what do you think? Are we going to be a society like that
described in George Orwell's novel Nineteen Eighty-Four (Big Brother)?
I look forward to see your answers.
Regards,
Eduardo R.
Eduardo Rocha
I would like to share with you my opinion not just about RFID but also
the privacy right. Actually I wrote that as a little essay. I think
that could be a good way to practicing writing. So here it is:
Many new technologies have been developed recently such as cellphone,
personalized search engines, GPS, RFID etc. All of these certainly
contribute to improve many aspects of the people's lives. For example,
search sites, such as Google and Yahoo, are employing the users'
history of search to improve results of new searches. Some cellphones
now include GPSs that permit their localization. RFIDs may be used to
track expiration dates and guarantee authenticity. However all of
these technologies I mentioned also are related to concerts about
privacy or lost of privacy.
These technologies can be used for governments and other people to
track their users. Recently, some organizations have complained about
search engines keeping data from users, that could be used to
determine the user behavior. Many patents of ideas that use RFID have
as objective to track the user preferences, that could be used without
the users' permission. Eventually, the GPS data contained in
cellphones can be stolen and used by hijackers for example.
What can be done to avoid this technology misuse? Technically, the
ideas underlining these technologies are not bad. They can be used for
good purposes, so just avoid them completely does not seem the right
option. Besides, these questions are not about the technologies
themselves, but the privacy right. The society and the governments
should guarantee this civil right and create mechanisms to avoid its
violation.
Certainly in some situations privacy right cannot be kept. But this
should not be decided by just one person or group and the
justifications should be presented to society, so that it can evaluate
the circumstances. A example when this right should be violated is
when the information kept secretly may lead to harm someone, as in
criminal's phone calls.
In short, many technologies have been developed that can put in risk
the users' privacy. Simple giving up these technology does not seem
the correct option, since they can be used in a good way. The source
of the problem is not the technologies themselves, but the right to
privacy. So, guaranteeing privacy is the main point.
If you didn't understand something, probably there is a English
mistake. So let me know if you didn't understand.
Regards,
Eduardo R.
Eduardo G.
break privacy is a big concern and of course private information in wrong hands
can be very dangerous. Besides too many people allow to lose your privacy for
more safe.
Allowing or not technologies always will be used for good and bad things.
Other thing about RFID. Here in São Paulo city (Brazil) the state government
create a law for put RFID dispositives on vehicles . The aim is to monitor vehicles
in irregular situation like bills late, the government said not. For they, it´s a way
for localize car stolen and make traffic monitoring in addition to monitor irregular vehicles.
(attached image and more here: http://www.frost.com/prod/servlet/market-insight-top.pag?Src=RSS&docid=112013409)
In my option it´s more a way to make money. Furthermore, monitoring me there are
information about where I go.. and this information on wrong hands can be dangerous.
Could it be a way of privacy break ?
Best wishes,
Eduardo Gonçalves (edgnets)
