Radio Tags in ID Cards Raise Privacy Issues

Huddling around a computer, a group of students stared as several numbers appeared on the screen after someone flashed their Cal 1 Card in front of a radio frequency identification scanner.

“It’s like a stalker’s dream,” said art practice doctoral candidate Joe McKay, who was at the table.

The table display, which also included informational literature, was part of an effort by the American Civil Liberties Union and a handful of graduate students from the Boalt Hall School of Law and the School of Information to raise awareness about radio frequency identification technology and how its different applications raise concerns about potential privacy violations.

Radio frequency identification uses radio waves to identify people or objects that contain radio frequency identification tags, according to the RFID Journal Web site. The tags contain numbers or information that may be used for tracking and identification.

Students in charge of the table in front of Kroeber Fountain yesterday said they feel a need for public discussion about the issue.

“People are setting up for these things and not realizing the potential problems that can come out of it,” said Boalt Hall doctoral candidate Alison Watkins, an ACLU intern who helped organize the display.

The technology is currently used in Cal 1 Cards to unlock doors in buildings across campus, said Reggie Nance, manager of the Cal 1 Card office.

Nance said the technology is not used as a tracking device, but was implemented to secure the campus by controlling access to facilities.

Watkins said consumers often choose convenience in exchange for giving up their privacy, and students are the most susceptible to any potential problems with the technology because they use it most often.

Some, like art professor Greg Niemeyer, said the tags can be useful if those who use them are informed.

Nance said that although the Cal 1 Card office does not use the term “RFID,” students are told their cards provide access to facilities on campus.

Wallets, passport holders and card holders that protect cards from radio frequency identification scans are being sold by the group to fundraise money for a fellowship that will assist law students in summer internships, said Boalt Hall doctoral candidate Larisa Mann.

Tags: