RFID usage in the military and Private sectors

RFID 1

Running Head : RADIO FREQUENCY IDENTIFICATION (RFID

Fundamentals of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID

its Applications and Security Issues Associated With the Technology

RFID 2

Radio frequency identification (RFID ) is an automated data-capture technology that can be used to electronically identify and track information stored inside a tag (United States Government Accountability Office [GAO] , 2005 . The RFID system consists of three components : RFID tags , RFID readers and a system that collects , distributes and manages the data obtained from the tag (Department of Commerce , 2005 . As seen in Figure 1

, RFID tags are minute computer chips that contain information about a certain product - such information corresponds with a data stored in the database . The tags can be embedded in a product to the surface of the item or fastened to the packaging material . RFID readers are scanning devices capable of reading the tags and relaying the result to the database . The information received from the tag can be stored in the reader for later use or instantaneously transported to the database . Lastly , the database tracks and contains information about the tagged item (GAO , 2005 . The local database can also be integrated into larger networks such as the internet making the data available over a wider range

Figure 1 . Radio Frequency Identification (RFID ) System [Online Image]

Available HYPERLINK "http /www .belgravium .com /langimagelib /RFID_system2 .jpg http /www .belgravium .com /langimagelib /RFID_system2 .jpg , 2007 September 27

RFID is not a new technology . It has been around since the Second World War and has been used to identify friendly aircrafts (Federal Trade Commission [FTC] , 2005 . It has

RFID 3

seen limited use in inventory management since 1970 's . The rapid advancement of technology however has reduced the cost and size of RFID tags resulting to wider range of uses (Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology [POST] , 2004 . Current uses of RFID include asset tracking , inventory /warehouse management , improvement of operation efficiencies , wireless payment systems , and security and access control to name just a few

The Fundamentals of RFID

A . The Primary Components of an RFID Device

The basic components of an RFID system are the tag , the reader and the database

An RFID tag is composed of a computer chip and an antenna (GAO , 2005 Figure 2 shows an example of an RFID tag . Usually made of silicon , the chip can store a unique serial number or any other information based on the tag 's type of memory . Chips used by retailers and manufacturers in to identify consumer goods may contain an Electronic Product Code (EPC (FTC , 2005 . The EPC is the RFID equivalent of a barcode over which the RFID has significant advantages : unlike barcodes which transmit information via optical means , information from the RFID tags are transferred by radio waves . As a result , a line-of-sight between the tag and the reader is not anymore necessary (POST , 2004 Furthermore , RFID tags are programmed to identify a specific item while a barcode can identify only a kind of product . Unlike barcodes , it...