Social acceptance of RFID as a biometric security method

The acceptance of biometric security controls in documentation, travel, and employment may soon be facing a strong test as it is further expanded through RFID, with advocates of global security aggressively working toward broadening the scope of tracking to the individual human level through implanted chips. Implanting chips in humans has only recently come to the forefront, as the FDA approved implantable RFID chips for medical purposes in October 2004. Yet national and international polls show that consumer awareness is low relative to biometric methods as well as RFID technology. Though study results substantiate that the general population is acutely concerned about privacy and personal rights protection, data reveals that consumers place a heightened value on convenience. These factors, coupled with the looming threats such as terrorism and identity theft may create the "perfect storm" in which consumers forgo the battle to ensure control over when and by whom they can be perceived by others.