For
Release:
April 12, 2004
FTC to Host Public
Workshop on Radio Frequency Identification
The Federal Trade Commission is seeking
comments on and requests to participate in a workshop, “Radio
Frequency Identification: Applications and Implications for
Consumers,” to be held June 21, 2004. A Federal Register
Notice announcing the workshop says that it “will explore
the uses, efficiencies, and implications for consumers associated
with radio frequency identification (RFID) technology. The
workshop will address both current and anticipated uses of
RFID tags and their impact on the marketplace.”
According to the Federal Register Notice,
the workshop “will provide an opportunity to learn about
how RFID works and to highlight its numerous and rapidly growing
applications. It will also address the privacy and security
concerns associated with RFID use, particularly on an item-level
basis. By bringing together RFID proponents, privacy advocates,
and other interested parties, the workshop will facilitate
discussion of core public policy issues and encourage the
development of best practices that capitalize on the efficiencies
generated by RFID without compromising consumers’ privacy
and security.”
Topics addressed at the workshop will include:
- What is RFID all about?
- How is RFID technology currently being
deployed?
- What is the future of RFID?
- How are consumers impacted by current
and/or anticipated RFID uses?
- What approaches have led or will lead
to use of RFID in a way that accommodates privacy and security
concerns?
Parties seeking to serve as panelists in
the workshop must notify the FTC in writing of their interest
in participating on or before Friday, May 7, 2004, either
by mail to the Secretary of the FTC or by email to rfidworkshop@ftc.gov.
More information about participating in the workshop, including
the specific criteria the FTC will use to select participants,
is provided in the Federal Register Notice.
Interested parties also may submit written
comments on the above questions to foster greater understanding
of these issues. Especially useful are any studies, surveys,
research, and empirical data. Comments must be filed on or
before Friday, May 21, 2004, and may be filed in either paper
or electronic form. For paper submissions, an original and
two copies of each document should be provided. The FTC requests
that any submission filed in paper form be sent by courier
or overnight service. U.S. postal mail in the Washington area
and at the Commission is subject to delay due to heightened
security precautions. Alternatively, comments may be emailed
to rfidworkshop@ftc.gov.
Additional information about the workshop is available on
the FTC’s Web site at www.ftc.gov/bcp/workshops/rfid.
An agenda will be posted there prior to the workshop.
Copies
of the Federal Register Notice are available from the FTC’s
Web site at http://www.ftc.gov
and also from the FTC’s Consumer Response Center, Room
130, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20580.
The FTC works for the consumer to prevent fraudulent, deceptive,
and unfair business practices in the marketplace and to provide
information to help consumers spot, stop, and avoid them.
To file a complaint, or to get free information on any of
150 consumer topics, call toll-free, 1-877-FTC-HELP (1 877-382-4357),
or use the complaint form at http://www.ftc.gov.
The FTC enters Internet, telemarketing, identity theft, and
other fraud-related complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure,
online database available to hundreds of civil and criminal
law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Claudia Bourne Farrell
Office of Public Affairs
202-326-2181
STAFF CONTACT:
Julie Brof
Northwest Regional Office
206-220-4475
(FTC File No. P049106)
(http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2004/04/rfidworkshop.htm)
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Related Documents:
Project P049106: Public Workshop:
Radio Frequency Identification:
Applications and Implications for Consumers: Notice Announcing
the Public Workshop and Requesting Public Comment.
- Text
of the Federal Register Notice [PDF 29KB]
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