Re: OT- animal microchip bill to congress/usda petition

The following is an excerpt from the Wikipedia article on RFID.
Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is an automatic identification method,
relying on storing and remotely retrieving data using devices called RFID
tags or transponders. An RFID tag is a small object that can be attached to
or incorporated into a product, animal, or person. RFID tags contain silicon
chips and antennas to enable them to receive and respond to radio-frequency
queries from an RFID transceiver. Passive tags require no internal power
source, whereas active tags require a power source.

History of RFID tags

In 1945 Leon Theremin invented an espionage tool for the Soviet government.
Even though this device was a passive covert listening device, not an
identification tag, it has been attributed the first known device and a
predecessor to RFID technology. The technology used in RFID has been around
since the early 1920s according to one source (although the same source
states that RFID systems have been around just since the late 1960s).

A similar technology, the IFF transponder, was invented by the British in
1939, and was routinely used by the allies in World War II to identify
airplanes as friend or foe.

Another early work exploring RFID is the landmark 1948 paper by Harry
Stockman, titled "Communication by Means of Reflected Power" (Proceedings of
the IRE, pp 1196-1204, October 1948). Stockman predicted that
"...considerable research and development work has to be done before the
remaining basic problems in reflected-power communication are solved, and
before the field of useful applications is explored." It required thirty
years of advances in many different fields before RFID became a reality.

Types of RFID tags

RFID tags can be either active, semi-passive (=semi-active) or passive.

Passive RFID tags have no internal power supply. The minute electrical
current induced in the antenna by the incoming radio frequency signal
provides just enough power for the CMOS integrated circuit (IC) in the tag
to power up and transmit a response. Most passive tags signal by
backscattering the carrier signal from the reader. This means that the
aerial (antenna) has to be designed to both collect power from the incoming
signal and also to transmit the outbound backscatter signal. The response of
a passive RFID tag is not just an ID number (GUID): tag chip can contain
nonvolatile EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory) for
storing data. Lack of an onboard power supply means that the device can be
quite small: commercially available products exist that can be embedded
under the skin. As of 2006, the smallest such devices measured 0.15 mm by
0.15 mm, and are thinner than a *** of paper (7.5 micrometres); such
devices are practically invisible. Passive tags have practical read
distances ranging from about 2 mm (ISO 14443) up to about few metres (ISO
18000-6) depending on the chosen radio frequency. Due to their simplicity in
design they are also suitable for manufacture with a printing process for
the antennae. A development target are polycarbon semiconductor tags to
become entirely printed. Passive RFID tags do not require batteries, and can
be much smaller and have an unlimited life span.

Semi-passive RFID tags are very similar to passive tags except for the
addition of a small battery. This battery allows the tag IC to be constantly
powered. This removes the need for the aerial to be designed to collect
power from the incoming signal. Aerials can therefore be optimised for the
backscattering signal. Semi-passive RFID tags are faster in response and
therefore stronger in reading ratio compared to passive tags.

Active RFID tags or beacons, on the other hand, have their own internal
power source which is used to power any ICs and generate the outgoing
signal. They may have longer range and larger memories than passive tags, as
well as the ability to store additional information sent by the transceiver.
To economize power consumption, many beacon concepts operate at fixed
intervals. At present, the smallest active tags are about the size of a
coin. Many active tags have practical ranges of tens of metres, and a
battery life of up to 10 years.

Because passive tags are cheaper to manufacture and have no battery, the
majority of RFID tags in existence are of the passive variety. As of 2005,
these tags cost an average of Euro 0.20 ($0.24 USD) at high volumes. Today,
as universal RFID tagging of individual products become commercially viable
at very large volumes, the lowest cost tags available on the market are as
low as 7.2 cents each in volumes of 10 million units or more. Current demand
for RFID integrated circuit chips is expected to grow rapidly based on these
prices.

The RFID System

An RFID system may consist of several components: tags, tag readers, edge
servers, middleware, and application software.

The purpose of an RFID system is to enable data to be transmitted by a
mobile device, called a tag, which is read by an RFID reader and processed
according to the needs of a particular application. The data transmitted by
the tag may provide identification or location information, or specifics
about the product tagged, such as price, color, date of purchase, etc. The
use of RFID in tracking and access applications first appeared during the
1980s. RFID quickly gained attention because of its ability to track moving
objects. As the technology is refined, more pervasive and possibly invasive
uses for RFID tags are in the works.

In a typical RFID system, individual objects are equipped with a small,
inexpensive tag. The tag contains a transponder with a digital memory chip
that is given a unique electronic product code. The interrogator, an antenna
packaged with a transceiver and decoder, emits a signal activating the RFID
tag so it can read and write data to it. When an RFID tag passes through the
electromagnetic zone, it detects the reader's activation signal. The reader
decodes the data encoded in the tag's integrated circuit (silicon chip) and
the data is passed to the host computer. The application software on the
host processes the data, often employing Physical Markup Language (PML).

Take the example of books in a library. Security gates can detect whether or
not a book has been properly checked out of the library. When users return
items, the security bit is re-set and the item record in the Integrated
library system is automatically updated. In some RFID solutions a return
receipt can be generated. At this point, materials can be roughly sorted
into bins by the return equipment. Inventory wands provide a finer detail of
sorting. This tool can be used to put books into shelf-ready order.

Current Usage

Talking Prescriptions - 13.56 MHz tags are being placed on prescriptions for
Visually Impaired Veterans. The Department of Veterans Affairs Outpatient
pharmacies are now supplying the tags with label information stored inside
that can be read by a battery powered, talking prescription reader. This
reader speaks information such as: Drug Name; Instruction; Warnings; etc.

Low-frequency RFID tags are commonly used for animal identification. Pets
can be implanted with small chips so that they may be returned to their
owners if lost. Beer kegs are also tracked with LF RFID. Two RFID
frequencies are used in the United States: 125 kHz (the original standard)
and 134.2 kHz (the international standard).

The Canadian Cattle Identification Agency began using RFID tags as a
replacement for barcode tags. The tags are required to identify a bovine's
herd of origin and this is used for trace-back when a packing plant condemns
a carcass. Currently CCIA tags are used in Wisconsin and by US farmers on a
voluntary basis. The USDA is currently developing its own program.

High-frequency RFID tags are used in library book or bookstore tracking,
pallet tracking, building access control, airline baggage tracking, and
apparel item tracking. High-frequency tags are widely used in identification
badges, replacing earlier magnetic stripe cards. These badges need only be
held within a certain distance of the reader to authenticate the holder.

The American Express Blue credit card now includes a high-frequency RFID
tag, a feature American Express calls ExpressPay.

UHF RFID tags are commonly used commercially in pallet and container
tracking, and truck and trailer tracking in shipping yards.

Microwave RFID tags are used in long range access control for vehicles.

RFID tags are used for electronic toll collection at toll booths with
Georgia's Cruise Card, California's FasTrak, Illinois' I-Pass, the expanding
eastern states' E-ZPass system, Florida's SunPass, The "Cross-Israel
Highway" (Highway 6), Philippines South Luzon Expressway E-Pass, Central
Highway (Autopista Central) in Chile and all highways in France (Liber-T
system). The tags are read remotely as vehicles pass through the booths, and
tag information is used to debit the toll from a prepaid account. The system
helps to speed traffic through toll plazas.

Sensors such as seismic sensors may be read using RFID transceivers, greatly
simplifying remote data collection.

Location sensing of RFID with milimeter accuracy is possible by adding a low
cost photosensor. The real time location sensing (RTLS) supports many
complex geometric queries.

In January 2003, Michelin began testing RFID transponders embedded into
tires. After a testing period that is expected to last 18 months, the
manufacturer will offer RFID-enabled tires to car makers. Their primary
purpose is tire-tracking in compliance with the United States
Transportation, Recall, Enhancement, Accountability and Documentation Act
(TREAD Act).

Some smart cards embedded with RFID chips are used as electronic cash, e.g.
SmarTrip in Washington, DC, USA, EasyCard in Taiwan, Suica in Japan, T-Money
in South Korea, Octopus Card in Hong Kong, and the Netherlands and Oyster
Card on the London Underground in the United Kingdom to pay fares in mass
transit systems and/or retails.

Starting with the 2004 model year, a Smart Key/Smart Start option became
available to the Toyota Prius. Since then, Toyota has been introducing the
feature on various models around the world under both the Toyota and Lexus
brands, including the Toyota Avalon (2005 model year), Toyota Camry (2007
model year), and the Lexus GS (2006 model year). The key uses an active RFID
circuit which allows the car to acknowledge the key's presence within
approximately 3 feet of the sensor. The driver can open the doors and start
the car while the key remains in a purse or pocket.

In August 2004, the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction (ODRH)
approved a $415,000 contract to evaluate the personnel tracking technology
of Alanco Technologies. Inmates will wear wristwatch-sized transmitters that
can detect if prisoners have been trying to remove them and send an alert to
prison computers. This project is not the first such rollout of tracking
chips in US prisons. Facilities in Michigan, California and Illinois already
employ the technology.

RFID Mandates

Wal-Mart and the United States Department of Defense have published
requirements that their vendors place RFID tags on all shipments to improve
supply chain management. Due to the size of these two organizations, their
RFID mandates impact thousands of companies worldwide. The deadlines have
been extended several times because many vendors face significant
difficulties implementing RFID systems. In practice, the successful read
rates currently run only 80%, due to radio wave attenuation caused by the
products and packaging. In time it is expected that even small companies
will be able to place RFID tags on their outbound shipments.

Since January, 2005, Wal-Mart has required its top 100 suppliers to apply
RFID labels to all shipments. To meet this requirement, vendors use RFID
printer/encoders to label cases and pallets that require EPC tags for
Wal-Mart. These smart labels are produced by embedding RFID inlays inside
the label material, and then printing bar code and other visible information
on the surface of the label.

Human Implants

Just after the operation to insert the RFID tag was completedImplantable
RFID chips designed for animal tagging are now being used in humans as well.
An early experiment with RFID implants was conducted by British professor of
cybernetics Kevin Warwick, who implanted a chip in his arm in 1998. Applied
Digital Solutions proposes their chip's "unique under-the-skin format" as a
solution to identity fraud, secure building access, computer access, storage
of medical records, anti-kidnapping initiatives and a variety of
law-enforcement applications. Combined with sensors to monitor body
functions, the Digital Angel device could provide monitoring for patients.
The Baja Beach Club, a night club in Barcelona Spain and in Rotterdam, The
Netherlands, uses an implantable Verichip to identify their VIP customers,
who in turn use it to pay for drinks.

In 2004, the Mexican Attorney General's office implanted 18 of its staff
members with the Verichip to control access to a secure data room. (This
number has been variously mis-reported as 160 or 180 staff members, though
the correct number is actually 18.)

Amal Graafstra, a Washington native and business owner had a RFID chip
implanted in his left hand in early 2005. The chip was 12 mm long by 2 mm in
diameter and has a basic read range of two inches (5 cm). The implant
procedure was conducted by a cosmetic surgeon, although the name of the
doctor was not released. When asked what he planned to do with the implant
Graafstra responded:

"Because I'm writing my own software and soldering up my own stuff, pretty
much anything I want. Well, more accurately, anything I have the time and
inspiration to do. Ultimately though, I think true keyless access will
require an implantable chip with a very strong encryption system; right now
I'm only looking at this type of thing in a personal context."
--One Small Step For Hand--The Present Tense

Cincinnati video surveillance company CityWatcher.com now requires employees
to use VeriChip human implantable RFID microchips to enter a secure data
center.

Potential Uses

RFID tags are often envisioned a replacement for UPC or EAN barcodes, having
a number of important advantages over the older barcode technology. They may
not ever completely replace barcodes, due in part to their higher cost and
in other part to the advantage of more than one independent data source on
the same object. The new EPC code is offered at reasonable cost, other
numbering scheme are widely availables, it makes no sense at all for none of
the industrial applications to save numbers at the expense of uniqueness.

The storage of data associated with tracking items will require many
terabytes on all levels. The escape is filtering, as nobody will save data
without defined purpose. It is likely that goods will be tracked preferably
by the pallet using RFID tags, and at package level with Universal Product
Code (UPC) or EAN from unique barcodes.

The unique identity in any case is a mandatory requirement for RFID tags,
despite special choice of the numbering scheme. RFID tag data capacity is
big enough that any tag will have a unique code, while current bar codes are
limited to a single type code for all instances of a particular product. The
uniqueness of RFID tags means that a product may be individually tracked as
it moves from location to location, finally ending up in the consumer's
hands. This may help companies to combat theft and other forms of product
loss. Moreover, the tracing back of products is an important feature that
gets well supported with RFID tags containing not just a unique identity of
the tag but also the serial number of the object. This may help companies to
cope with quality deficiencies and resulting recall campaigns, but also
contributes to concern over post-sale tracking and profiling of consumers.

It has also been proposed to use RFID for POS store checkout to replace the
cashier with an automatic system which needs no barcode scanning. However
this is not likely to be possible without a significant reduction in the
cost of current tags and changes in the operational process around POS.
There is some research taking place, however, this is some years from
reaching fruition.

Gen 2
An organization called GS1 (http://www.gs1.org) is operating the joint
venture EPCglobal (http://www.epcglobalinc.org), is working on international
standards for the use of RFID and the EPC in the identification of any item
in the supply chain for companies in any industry, anywhere in the world.
The organization's board of governors of EPCglobal includes representatives
from GS1, GS1-US, EAN, UCC, The Gillette Company, Procter & Gamble,
Wal-Mart, Hewlett-Packard, Johnson & Johnson, Checkpoint Systems and Auto-ID
Labs and others.

The EPCglobal gen 2 standard was approved in December 2004, and is likely to
form the backbone of RFID tag standards moving forward. This was approved
after a contention from Intermec that the standard may infringe a number of
their RFID related patents. It was decided that the standard itself did not
infringe their patents, but it may be necessary to pay royalties to Intermec
if the tag were to be read in a particular manner. EPC Gen2 is short for
EPCglobal UHF Generation 2. EPC standardisation is headed to become adopted
by ISO, e.g. in accordance with complementary standardisation based on the
ISO standard 18000-6.

EPC Gen 2 as well as the the majority of RFID tags in existence are of the
passive variety. As of 2005, these tags cost an average of Euro 0.20 at high
volumes. Today, as universal RFID tagging of individual products become
commercially viable at very large volumes, the lowest cost EPC Gen 2 tags
available on the market are as low as 7.2 cents each in volumes of 10
million units or more. Current demand for RFID integrated circuit chips is
expected to grow rapidly based on these prices.

Patient Identification

In July 2004, the Food and Drug Administration issued a ruling that
essentially begins a final review process that will determine whether
hospitals can use RFID systems to identify patients and/or permit relevant
hospital staff to access medical records. The use of RFID to prevent mixups
between sperm and ova in IVF clinics is also being considered.

In October 2004, the FDA approved the country's first RFID chips that can be
implanted in humans. The 134 kHz RFID chips, from VeriChip Corp., a
subsidiary of Applied Digital Solutions Inc., can incorporate personal
medical information and could save lives and limit injuries from errors in
medical treatments, according to the company. The FDA approval was disclosed
during a conference call with investors. Shortly after the approval, authors
and anti-RFID activists Katherine Albrecht and Liz McIntyre discovered a
warning letter from the FDA that spelled out serious health risks associated
with the VeriChip. According to the FDA, these include "adverse tissue
reaction," "migration of the implanted transponder," "failure of implanted
transponder," "electrical hazards" and "magnetic resonance imaging [MRI]
incompatibilty."

Some in-home uses, such as allowing a refrigerator to track the expiration
dates of the food it contains, have also been proposed, but few have moved
beyond the prototype stage.

Traffic and Positioning

The most common use of RFID in traffic is for Electronic toll collection,
normally using the Dedicated Short Range Communication (DSRC).

Another proposed application is the use of RFID for intelligent traffic
signs called Road Beacons or "RBS" [12]. Such solutions are based in the use
of RFID transponders buried under the pavement that are read by an onboard
unit (OBU) in the vehicle which filters the different traffic signs and
translates them into voice messages or gives a virtual projection using a
HUD (Heads-Up Display). Its main advantage compared with satellite-based
systems is that road beacons do not need digital mapping associated with
them, as long as they provide traffic sign symbol and actual position
information by themselves. RFID road beacons are also useful for
complementing satellite positioning systems in places like tunnels or
indoors.

Regulation and Standardization

There is no global public body that governs the frequencies used for RFID.
In principle, every country can set its own rules for this. The main bodies
governing frequency allocation for RFID are:

USA: FCC (Federal Communications Commission)
Canada: DOC (Department of Communication)
Europe: ERO, CEPT, ETSI, and national administrations (note that the
national administrations must ratify the usage of a specific frequency
before it can be used in that country)
Japan: MPHPT (Ministry of Public Management, Home Affairs, Post and
Telecommunication)
China: Ministry of Information Industry
Australia: Australian Communication Authority.
New Zealand: Ministry of Economic Development

Low-frequency (LF: 125 - 134.2 kHz and 140 - 148.5 kHz) and high-frequency
(HF: 13.56 MHz) RFID tags can be used globally without a license.
Ultra-high-frequency (UHF: 868 MHz-928 MHz) cannot be used globally as there
is no single global standard. In North America, UHF can be used unlicensed
for 908 - 928 MHz, but restrictions exist for transmission power. In Europe,
UHF is under consideration for 865.6 - 867.6 MHz. Its usage is currently
unlicensed for 869.40 - 869.65 MHz only, but restrictions exist for
transmission power. The North American UHF standard is not accepted in
France as it interferes with its military bands. For China and Japan, there
is no regulation for the use of UHF. Each application for UHF in these
countries needs a site license, which needs to be applied for at the local
authorities, and can be revoked. For Australia and New Zealand, 918 - 926
MHz are unlicensed, but restrictions exist for transmission power.

These frequencies are known as the ISM bands (Industrial Medical
Scientific). The return signal of the tag may still cause interference for
other radio users.

Additional regulations exist regarding health and environmental issues [14].
For example, in Europe, the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment
Directive does not allow for RFID tags to be thrown away. This means that
RFID tags in cardboard boxes must be removed before disposing of them. This
is important because RFID tags disrupt recycling [15]. Health regulations
exist as well; see EMF (Electromagnetic field).

Some standards that have been made regarding RFID technology include:

ISO 11784 & 11785 - These standards regulate the Radio frequency
identification of animals in regards to Code Structure and Technical concept
ISO 14223/1 - Radio frequency identification of Animals, advanced
transponders - Air interface
ISO 10536
ISO 14443
ISO 15693
ISO 18000
EPCglobal - this is the standardization framework that is most likely to
undergo International Standardisation according to ISO rules as with all
sound standards in the world, unless residing with limited scope, as customs
regulations, air-traffic regulations and others. Currently the big
distributors and governmental customers are pushing EPC heavily as a
standard well accepted in their community, but not yet regarded as for
salvation to the rest of the world.

A primary security concern surrounding RFID technology is the illicit
tracking of RFID tags. Tags which are world-readable pose a risk to both
personal location privacy and corporate/military security. Such concerns
have been raised with respect to the United States Department of Defense's
recent adoption of RFID tags for supply chain management. More generally,
privacy organizations have expressed concerns in the context of ongoing
efforts to embed electronic product code (EPC) RFID tags in consumer
products.

A second class of defense uses cryptography to prevent tag cloning. Some
tags use a form of "rolling code" scheme, wherein the tag identifier
information changes after each scan, thus reducing the usefulness of
observed responses. More sophisticated devices engage in challenge-response
protocols where the tag interacts with the reader. In these protocols,
secret tag information is never sent over the insecure communication channel
between tag and reader. Rather, the reader issues a challenge to the tag,
which responds with a result computed using a cryptographic circuit keyed
with some secret value. Such protocols may be based on symmetric or public
key cryptography. Cryptographically-enabled tags typically have dramatically
higher cost and power requirements than simpler equivalents, and as a
result, deployment of these tags is much more limited. This cost/power
limitation has led some manufacturers to implement cryptographic tags using
substantially weakened, or proprietary encryption schemes, which do not
necessarily resist sophisticated attack. For example, the Exxon-Mobil
Speedpass uses a cryptographically-enabled tag manufactured by Texas
Instruments, called the Digital Signature Transponder (DST), which
incorporates a weak, proprietary encryption scheme to perform a
challenge-response protocol. In 2005, researchers from RSA Labs and Johns
Hopkins University reverse engineered the algorithm and were able to clone
Speedpass tags.

Still other cryptographic protocols attempt to achieve privacy against
unauthorized readers, though these protocols are largely in the research
stage. One major challenge in securing RFID tags is a shortage of
computational resources within the tag. Standard cryptographic techniques
require more resources than are available in most low cost RFID devices.
Many security measures have been proposed for RFID in the academic
literature. Several low strength cryptographic solutions have been proposed,
including hash locks, backward channel XORing, third party privacy agents,
and LPN authentication. RSA Security has patented a prototype device that
locally jams RFID signals by interrupting a standard collision avoidance
protocol, allowing the user to prevent identification if desired. Various
policy measures have also been proposed, such as marking RFID tagged objects
with an industry standard label.

RFID Legislation

California - SB1834
PURPOSE: Restrict the way businesses and libraries in California use RFID
tags attached to consumer products or using an RFID reader that could be
used to identify an individual.
Defeated by members of the California state assembly on June 25, 2005.

Massachusetts -- HB 1447, SB 181
PURPOSE: Requires labels regarding use and purpose of RFID on consumer
products; requires the ability to remove tags; and restricts info on tags to
inventory and like purposes.

Maryland -- HB 354
PURPOSE: Creates a task force to study privacy and other issues related to
RFID and report on whether legislation is needed.

Missouri -- SB 128
PURPOSE: Requires a conspicuous label on consumer packaging with RFID
disclosing existence of the tag and that the tag can transmit a unique ID
before and after purchase.

Nevada -- AB 264
PURPOSE: Requires manufacturers, retailers and others to ensure placement of
a label regarding existence of RFID on product prior to sale.

New Hampshire -- HB 203
PURPOSE: Requires written or verbal notice of existence of a tracking device
on any product prior to sale.

New Mexico -- HB 215
PURPOSE: Requires businesses purveying tagged items to post notices on their
premises and labels on the products; requires removal or deactivation of tag
at point of sale.

Rhode Island -- H 5929
PURPOSE: Prohibits state or local government from using RFID to track
movement or identity of employees, students or clients or others as a
condition of a benefit or service

South Dakota -- HB 1114
PURPOSE: Prohibits requiring a person to receive implant of an RFID chip.

Tennessee -- HB 300, SB 699
PURPOSE: Requires conspicuous labeling of goods containing RFID disclosing
existence of RFID and that it can transmit unique information.

Utah -- HB 185
PURPOSE: Amends computer crime law to include RFID.

Texas -- HB 2953
PURPOSE: Prohibits school district from requiring student to use an RFID
device for identification; requires school to provide alternative method to
those who object to RFID.


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