Interesting People mailing list archives
RFID tags and privacy
From: Dave Farber <dave () farber net>
Date: Sun, 20 Jul 2003 18:10:09 -0400
Date: Sun, 20 Jul 2003 17:55:51 -0400 From: "Ronald L. Rivest" <rivest () mit edu> Subject: RFID tags and privacy X-Sender: sendmail@theory () non existent com To: David Farber <dave () farber net> Dave -- You recently posted a long note from Brad Templeton that (correctly) points out that improving RFID tags to protect privacy may be too costly to be workable within the limited per-tag cost budget for these devices (e.g. ten cents). There is another way to approach this problem, however: leave the RFID tag alone, but provide "blocker" RFID tags to consumers that can selectively block readers from reading any chip on the consumer's person. Such blocker chips can be built cheaply---they only need to interfere with the "singulation" protocol that readers use to address each RFID chip individually in turn. By giving consumers the ability to block unwanted readers from reading their RFID tags, as well as allowing consumers to "kill" their RFID tags, one may be able to provide consumers with sufficient control over how their RFID tags are used to allow implementation of acceptable privacy policies. The "blocker tags" can also be used in more refined modes, so that only some tags are blocked. For example, you could choose to block reading of tags on "personal" items you carry, but allow reading of RFID tags on your business cards. (This would be your choice; such a policy might not be for everyone.) Some details and further discussion can be found in a recent paper by myself, Ari Juels, and Michael Szydlo: http://theory.lcs.mit.edu/~rivest/JuelsRivestSzydlo-TheBlockerTag.pdf Cheers, Ron Ronald L. Rivest Room 324, 200 Technology Square, Cambridge MA 02139 Tel 617-253-5880, Fax 617-258-9738, Email <rivest () mit edu>
------------------------------------- You are subscribed as interesting-people () lists elistx com To manage your subscription, go to http://v2.listbox.com/member/?listname=ip Archives at: http://www.interesting-people.org/archives/interesting-people/
Current thread:
- RFID tags and privacy Dave Farber (Jul 20)
- <Possible follow-ups>
- RFID tags and privacy Dave Farber (Jul 21)