| Life usually seems to me to be a series of | | | | Products establish the need for Consumer Notice |
| Rorschach tests. We each interpret events and | | | | and Consumer Choice. The guidelines are published |
| patterns through the filter of our personal history, | | | | on the EPCglobal website, and include: |
| and no two people experience the same stimulus | | | | 1. Consumer Notice |
| in the exact same way. | | | | Consumers will be given clear notice of the |
| RFID means "cutting-edge technology" to one and | | | | presence of EPC on products or their packaging. |
| "the end of personal freedom" to another. "Big | | | | This notice will be given through the use of an |
| Brother" to one and "transportation efficiency" to | | | | EPC logo or identifier on the products or |
| another. "Professional development opportunity" to | | | | packaging. |
| an RFID software engineer and "layoff" to a | | | | 2. Consumer Choice |
| no-longer-necessary inventory clerk. | | | | Consumers will be informed of the choices that |
| But now and then the ink blot is so obvious that it | | | | are available to discard or remove or in the future |
| transcends individual interpretation. Or in the case | | | | disable EPC tags from the products they acquire." |
| of Canadian technology firm Creo, it is the | | | | By design, Creo's Traceless taggant clearly |
| absence of the ink blot that is so clear. | | | | circumvents both consumer notice and consumer |
| Creo has developed Traceless technology, an | | | | choice. |
| RFID tagging system which is described on their | | | | I appreciate our general need for increased |
| website as "visually and chemically undetectable, | | | | security and anti-counterfeiting measures. I am as |
| even by forensic trace methods". | | | | concerned about the purity of my prescription |
| On the same website, Creo details potential | | | | and the safety of this country as any other |
| applications for Traceless as "Traceless taggant | | | | reasonable person is. I have consistently |
| can be applied to the surface of articles during | | | | supported the strengths of RFID technology in |
| manufacturing. Or, more commonly, it can be | | | | appropriate applications, and I will continue to do |
| mixed in paper or ink during the production of | | | | so. |
| packaging, envelopes, and labels." | | | | But I can not interpret this particular picture with |
| What?! | | | | anything but alarm. |
| Do you want visually and chemically undetectable | | | | Plain, "old-fashioned" RFID tags -- visible and |
| track-and-trace technology mixed into paper or | | | | detectable -- offer a more sophisticated level of |
| ink during production? Paper and ink... that's | | | | security than we have ever had before. They are |
| magazines, personal letterhead, business cards, | | | | unobtrusive, customizable, incorruptible and |
| maps, loan applications, medical information forms, | | | | virtually impossible to counterfeit. |
| social security cards, coupons, prescriptions... U.S. | | | | Creo's Traceless powder is not only unnerving and |
| currency. (Ironically, even Rorschach tests.) | | | | completely unnecessary, it is decidely |
| Before you write and tell me that I'm | | | | counterproductive. |
| overreacting, integrate the fact that Creo has | | | | The nature of RFID technology inevitably raises |
| already signed an agreement with label | | | | public and personal sensitivity. In order for the |
| manufacturer Acucote to incorporate Traceless | | | | collective "us" to gain from RFID, we must be |
| technology into Acucote labels. This is not a | | | | partners in pursuit of transparent truth. |
| boardroom Development Objective, folks. This is | | | | No matter how you look at it, transparent tags |
| a stealth tracking reality. | | | | and transparent truth are mutually exclusive. |
| EPCglobal's Guidelines on EPC for Consumer | | | | |