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RFID AND UBIQUITOUS COMPUTING
HOW TO ENSURE THAT RFID ALSO SERVES CONSUMER INTERESTS
March 13, 2007, The Ballroom, Hotel Renaissance, Rue du Parnasse 19, 1050 Brussels
RFID (radio frequency identification) is advancing rapidly and it is only a question of time until this technology will be ubiquitously applied. The European Commission has reacted to these developments 2006 by initiating an RFID consultation process and it will publish a Communication in early 2007. The German EU Presidency has also indicated its intention to pursue this issue in 2007. In the United States, while the federal government has not acted, some states are enacting their own disparate legislative measures to address some of the issues raised by RFID. Despite these efforts, TACD thinks that consumer interests have not yet gained the level of attention that they deserve.
This one-day workshop seeks to fill this gap by exploring measures that need to be taken to ensure that the application of RFID technology strikes a balance between industry needs and consumer interests. In so doing, it addresses four key issues:
- Technological trends and developments in the realm of ubiquitous computing
- What consumers want and fear
- Whether legislative action is needed and what role voluntary measures should play
- How privacy can be built into the technology
The workshop is funded by the European Commission and is open to consumer organisations, consumers, policy makers, industry representatives, journalists and other stakeholders.
AGENDA
8.30-9.00 Registration, coffee and refreshments
9.00-9.15 Welcome and introduction of RFID issues from the consumer perspective: Jim Murray, Director, BEUC (European Consumers' Organisation)
9.15-10.00 Keynote speaker: Rudolf Strohmeier, Head of Cabinet of Commissioner Viviane Reding
10.00-10.30 Break
10.30-12.00 Session I: Scenarios for ubiquitous computing and what consumers think about them
RFID is a technology that accelerates the evolution of ubiquitous computing. What impact will this have on consumers? What are likely future developments? What technological innovations do consumers want? What do consumers fear as this future unfolds?
Dr. Sarah Spiekermann, Director, Berlin Research Centre on Internet Economics
Dr. Katherine Albrecht, Director, CASPIAN Consumer Advocacy (by telephone)
Emilie Barrau, Legal Officer, BEUC
Dr. Pim Tuyls, Principal scientist, Philips Research Eindhove
Moderated by Patrick von Braunmühl, Deputy Executive Director, Federation of German Consumer Organisations
12.00-13.00 Lunch
13.00-15.00 Session II: Is legislative action needed? What should be the role of voluntary measures?
Historically, data protection and privacy legislation sought to protect citizens from the state, and the premise in data protection legislation was that personal data collection should be the exception. Today, personal data is widely collected also by private entities, and in a ubiquitous network society objects and subjects are constantly connected making data collection the rule. In light of these developments, are current models of data and privacy protection still adequate? Is legislative action needed? Is there a useful role for best practices and other voluntary measures?
Roundtable discussion with:
Peter Schaar, Chairman, Article 29 Working Party
Achim Klabunde, Team Leader Privacy, Trust and related areas, DG Information Society & Media, European Commission
Robert C. Cresanti, Under Secretary of Commerce for Technology
David Banisar, Director of the FOI Project, Privacy International
Jay Stanley, Public Education Coordinator, American Civil Liberties Union
Dr. Armgard von Reden, Chief Privacy Officer, IBM Europe Middle & East Africa
Moderated by Marc Rotenberg, Executive Director, Electronic Privacy Information Center
15.00-15.30 Break
15.30-16.45 Session III: How can privacy and security be built into the technology?
There are many different approaches to ensure that consumers' privacy and security are protected in the application of RFID. How can these concerns be built in as the technology is developed and implemented?
Sarah Andrews, Consumer Policy Analyst, OECD
Dr. Marc Langheinrich, Researcher, ETH Zurich - Institute for Pervasive Computing
Stephan J. Engberg, President, Priway
Kevin Fu, Assistant Professor, University Of Massachusetts, Amherst
Moderated by Susan Grant, Vice President, Public Policy, National Consumers League
16.45-17.45 Closing session: Next steps: What needs to be done?
Jim Murray, Director, BEUC (European Consumers' Organisation)
Gérald Santucci, Head of Unit for Networked Enterprise & RFID, DG Information Society & Media, European Commission
William E. Kovacic, Commissioner, Federal Trade Commission
Marc Rotenberg, Executive Director, Electronic Privacy Information Center
Susan Grant, Vice President, Public Policy, National Consumers League
Patrick von Braunmühl, Deputy Executive Director, Federation of German Consumer Organisations
Moderated by Jean Ann Fox, Director of Consumer Protection, Consumer Federation of America
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