NIST issues RFID guidelines.

• Author: Swartz, Nikki
• Position: UP FRONT: News, Trends & Analysis - National Institute of Standards and Technology

Radio frequency identification (RFID) technology, also called "smart tags," potentially can improve corporate logistics, change cost structures, and improve current levels of product safety and authenticity for many industries; however, it also has the potential to threaten customers' privacy.

Retailers, manufacturers, hospitals, federal agencies, and other organizations planning to use the technology to improve their operations should also systematically evaluate their possible security and privacy risks and use best practices to mitigate them, according to a new report from the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

RFID tags send and/or receive radio signals to transmit identifying information such as product modal or serial numbers. They come in a wide variety of types and sizes, from the size of a grain of rice to much larger devices with built-in batteries. Unlike barcoding systems, RFID devices can communicate without requiring a line of sight and over longer distances for faster batch processing of inventory, and they can be outfitted with sensors to collect data on temperature changes, sudden shocks, humidity, or other factors affecting products. RFID tags also are being used in more sophisticated applications, from matching hospital patients with laboratory test...