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Radio Frequency IDentification:

Applications and Implications
for Consumers

June 21, 2004
8:30am - 5:30pm

FTC Conference Center
601 New Jersey Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20001
 

The emergence of radio frequency identification (RFID) technology has important implications for businesses, consumers, and policymakers. Companies are turning to RFID to manage warehouse inventory and to stock retail shelves. Consumers are using RFID tags when they travel on highways, purchase gas and groceries, and protect their pets. RFID also has significant potential as a public safety and anti-counterfeiting tool. And as the cost of RFID chips declines, new applications will undoubtedly be developed.

The FTC’s workshop will explore both current and anticipated uses of RFID as well as the associated consumer privacy and security concerns. The workshop will take place from 8:30 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. on Monday, June 21st, at the FTC Conference Center, 601 New Jersey Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC. The event is open to the public, and there is no pre-registration and no attendance fee. For admittance to the building, all attendees will be required to display a valid form of identification, such as a driver's license.

The Conference Center is accessible for persons with disabilities. If you will need a disability-related accommodation for the conference, please contact Melissa Farmer at (202) 326-3340.

Workshop Information

  • Transcript [PDF]
  • Agenda [PDF]
  • Panelist Bios [PDF]
  • Presentations
    Panel 1: The ABCs of RFID
     

    Julie Brof, Moderator
    Staff Attorney, Northwest Region, Federal Trade Commission
    Manuel Albers [PDF]
    Director, Business Development for Identification Products, Philips Semiconductors
    Dr. Daniel Engels [PDF]
    Director, Auto-ID Labs, MIT University
    Sue Hutchinson
    Product Manager, EPCglobal US

    Panel 2: Current and Anticipated Uses for RF Technology
     

    Lyle Ginsburg, Moderator
    Managing Partner, Technology Innovation, Accenture
    Charles Harwood, Moderator
    Director, Northwest Region, Federal Trade Commission
    William Allen [PDF]
    Marketing Communications Manager, Texas Instruments RFID Systems
    Ken Fishkin [PDF]
    Researcher, Intel Corporation
    Simon Langford [PDF]
    Manager of RFID Strategy, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
    Paul Rudolf [PDF]
    Senior Advisor for Medical and Health Policy, U.S. Food and Drug Administration
    Peter E. Sand
    Director of Privacy Technology, U.S. Department of Homeland Security
    Lee Tien [PDF 1] [PDF 2]
    Senior Staff Attorney, Electronic Frontier Foundation
    Britt Wood [PDF]
    Senior Vice President of Industry Relations, Retail Industry Leaders Association

    Panel 3: Implications of RFID Use for Consumers
      Ellen Finn, Moderator
    Staff Attorney, Division of Financial Practices, Federal Trade Commission
    Frederick C. (Ted) Livingston, Moderator
    Privacy Consultant
    Mallory Duncan [PDF]
    Senior Vice President and General Counsel, National Retail Federation
    Beth Givens [PDF]
    Director, Privacy Rights Clearinghouse
    Sandra (Sandy) Hughes [PDF]
    Global Privacy Executive, Procter & Gamble
    William MacLeod
    Senior Partner, Collier Shannon Scott and Counsel, Grocery Manufacturers of America
    Deirdre Mulligan [PDF]
    Director, Samuelson Law, Technology and Public Policy Clinic, Boalt Hall School of Law
    John Parkinson [PDF]
    Vice President and Chief Technologist, Capgemini
    Dan White
    Technical Evangelist - RFID, New Technologies Retail Solutions Division, NCR
    Panel 4: Looking Ahead: Competing Visions of the Future of RFID
      Julie Brof, Moderator
    Staff Attorney, Northwest Region, Federal Trade Commission
    Katherine Albrecht [PDF]
    Founder and Director, CASPIAN (Consumers Against Supermarket Privacy Invasion and Numbering)
    Christopher Boone [PDF]
    Program Manager, IDC
    Jim Waldo [PDF]
    Distinguished Engineer, Sun Microsystems
    Panel 5: Meeting the Challenge: Best Practices and Principles
      Elliot Maxwell, Moderator
    Fellow, Center for the Study of American Government, Johns Hopkins; Distinguished Research Fellow, eBusiness Research Center, Pennsylvania State University
    Tracy Thorleifson, Moderator
    Staff Attorney, Northwest Region, Federal Trade Commission
    Dr. Robert Atkinson [PDF]
    Vice President and Director, Technology & New Economy Project, Progressive Policy Institute
    Elizabeth Board [PDF]
    Executive Director, EPCglobal Public Policy Steering Committee
    Paula Bruening
    Staff Counsel, Center for Democracy & Technology
    Dr. Ari Juels [PDF]
    Principal Research Scientist, RSA Labs
    Cedric Laurant
    Policy Counsel, Electronic Privacy Information Center
    James Stafford [PDF] [Video 68M]
    Head of RFID, Marks & Spencer
  • Press Release Announcing Workshop (April 12, 2004)
  • Press Release Extending the Deadline for Comments (May 20, 2004)
  • Federal Register Notice
  • Local Restaurants and Hotels
  • Directions between HQ and the Conference Center
  • Map of Conference Center Location

Public Comments

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