RFID: Promises and Problems

With the advent of wireless technology, a rapidly advancing area is that of Radio Frequency Identification Devices or RFID. RFID technology was first developed as an espionage device during World War II. However, nearly 30 years of research was required before it became a part of our everyday lives. Informally, RFID can be considered a non-contact method of using radio frequency electromagnetic waves (with frequencies up to 2.5GHz) for communication between 2 remote entities. Data is stored in devices called RFID tags or transponders, and is retrieved by readers. Each tag stores a unique identification number. The main purpose of RFID is automated identification of people and products. The advantages of RFID over conventional identification systems are many. RFID also allows us to think of applications hitherto undreamed of. The biggest stumbling blocks in the use of RFID are the numerous and complex security threats that are involved with RFID, as well as privacy issues that have human rights organizations up in arms. Also, there are few standards that have been agreed on, and many protocols are still in nascent stages of development. This limits the practical usage of RFID today. In addition to the potential scope of RFID applications, the security threats that still have to be satisfactorily countered make RFID Security a field that is being widely researched. This paper starts with a hypothetical situation that we may be faced with in the future. It then goes on to give details about RFID systems. Some applications of RFID are enumerated, as well as the advantages RFID has over conventional systems. Finally, some of the security threats facing RFID are explained.