The Ethical Debate Surrounding RFID

Abstract

Radio frequency identification (RFID) is a generic term that is used to describe a system that transmits the identity of an object or person wirelessly using radio waves (RFID Journal, 2005). It falls under the broad category of automatic identification technologies. RFID tags, in the simplest of terms, are “intelligent chips that can be embedded in or attached to a product to transmit descriptive data” (Gelinas, Sutton, & Fedorowicz, 2004, p. 6). According to the online RFID Journal (2005), there are several methods of identifying objects using RFID, including the most common of storing a serial number that identifies a product on a microchip that is attached to an RFID tag. RFID is not a new technology, but it has only recently been in the spotlight as more businesses are receiving press for putting the technology to work in their supply chains.