NH RFID Study Commission seeks to ban RFID; AeA and ITAA Respond to proposed ban

A proposed New Hampshire ban on Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology from government applications would create a false sense of security and stunt innovation in state services, two technology trade associations say.

Executives at AeA, formerly known as the American Electronics Association, and the Information Technology Association of America (ITAA) oppose the idea, which was included in a set of legislative recommendations issued by the New Hampshire RFID Study Commission.

The recommendations inappropriately focus on one technology, rather than looking at the full range of security considerations for any technology implementation including the people and processes involved, according to ITAA president and CEO Phil Bond.

“This proposal simply takes one tool out of the tool box while doing nothing to protect security and privacy. Meanwhile, existing state services that New Hampshire residents depend on for their public safety could be put at risk,” says Bond.

The recommendations also fail to consider that in many cases, a properly deployed RFID solution is the most appropriate, most secure answer to the problem, the association managers report.

“RFID, while perhaps not widely known by name, protects the information on more than 1.2 billion identification credentials worldwide, and has been in use for more than 50 years,” says Roxanne Gould, AeA’s senior vice president of State Government Affairs. “In fact, RFID use in ID documents has been deemed preferable in many applications because it offers a variety of security options to protect consumer information not available in competing technologies.”

RFID Technology has many potentially beneficial uses by government agencies, including identification of Alzheimer’s patients who can no longer identify themselves, and allowing emergency workers to quickly identify whether an accident victim has serious allergies or other medical conditions warranting unique care.

AeA and ITAA strongly urge New Hampshire legislators to consider these serious concerns prior to acting on the Commission’s findings and recommendations.

“We are disappointed in the outcome of this report because it demonizes a particular technology at the expense of the privacy and security of the people of New Hampshire,” continues Gould.