RFID technologies duke it out
And you thought the fight over radio frequency identification technology was all about whether Big Brother would be able to track unsuspecting individuals as they go about their daily lives. In some corners it?s still about that, but RFID has matured to the point where debates have more to do with what kind of RFID is appropriate for government applications than whether it?s appropriate at all.
This summer, a congressional conference committee wrestled over two incompatible types of radio frequency identification technology proposed for the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, a joint border-control project of the Homeland Security and State departments [for more about WHTI, see GCN.com, Quickfind 669].
Essentially, they?re fighting over slices of the electromagnetic spectrum. In one corner are proponents of so-called high-frequency chips employed in the familiar smart cards used to secure access to buildings. In the other corner are backers of ultrahigh-frequency chips used in RFID tags that track cases of toothpaste through supply chains to the local Wal-Mart or military post exchange.
