Business risks from naive use of RFID in tracking, tracing and logistics

Abstract:
Logistics, food tracing, tracking of deliveries and customs processing expect large gains in efficiency from the use of RFID. Brand manufacturers hope for the effective detection of brand forgery and smuggling along the logistics chain. Large trial projects for shelf maintenance and customer self-service are under way in supermarket chains. The vision of the “Internet of things” aims at a logistics chain reaching from the producer’s meadow into the consumer’s refrigerator, providing optimized logistics, security, tracing, and health functionality. However, the naïve application of such technologies can create hazards that need to be considered, and managed in the planning process and throughout the whole application lifecycle. This article shifts the focus from RFID tags and readers to the long-term implications of the complete tracking system, and discusses ways of discovering and preventing risks.