Written by Jerry Robinson
Originally Posted on 2/28/2005
What costs less than ten cents a piece, is wireless and is being currently deployed by the billions? Auto-ID. Never heard of Auto-ID? You will.
Auto-ID is a new tracking technology designed by researchers at MIT utilizing RFID (radio frequency identification). Analysts envision a time when the new technology, which includes a microchip the size of a grain of sand and an antenna, will be used to identify and track every item produced on the planet.
According to a report by Caspian, a consumer advocate group, the entire city of Tulsa, Oklahoma was wired with radio-frequency equipment in a mid-2001 pilot test with Gillette, Philip Morris, Procter & Gamble and Wal-Mart to verify the technology.
In addition to being implemented by various businesses to monitor the movement of their products, Auto-ID reportedly has been eyed by government as a new way to track issued currency.
According to a recent news article by the EE Times, a weekly engineering magazine, the European Union is working with technology partners to embed RFID's into the fibers of euro bank notes by 2005. The benefits would be two fold. First, an instant and continuing demand will be created for RFID technology. Second, attempts to counterfeit the euro bank notes would be severely limited. Apparently, the Europeans have learned the need to thwart counterfeiters by observing the mistakes of the most counterfeited currency in the world, the U.S. dollar. Due to the loss of anonymity of future cash transactions, privacy concerns have led to a 'hush-hush' approach to the project by the European Central Bank, according to the article.
Government is not alone. Businesses are also recognizing the potential benefits of the low cost technology. Consider The Gillette Company. They recently placed an order for 500,000,000 RFID tags at ten cents a piece. Obviously, Gillette hopes to curb lost and stolen products by knowing where their products are at all times.
Currently, RFID tags are mass produced and used to track pets, automobile parts and luggage at airports. If these 'smart' tags continue gaining in their popularity, they may soon replace the notorious bar code found on virtually everything.
There is a remote chance that consumers might reject the technology due to its extremely invasive nature. Products purchased could become traceable to their purchasers. But consumer convenience will probably win out.
Consider a fascinating scenario that could become reality with full RFID implementation as described on the Auto-ID Center's website. "Rather than wait in line for a cashier, the customer simply walks out the door with her purchases. A scanner built into the door recognizes the items in her cart by their individual smart tags; A swipe of the debit or credit card and the customer is on her way. In 5-10 years, whole new ways of doing things will emerge and gradually become commonplace. Expect big changes."
Jerry Robinson is the founder of Jerry Robinson Ministries, a ministry devoted to taking the Gospel of Jesus' First Coming to the unbeliever, and the Good News of Jesus' Second Coming to the Global church. He is an ordained minister, writer, and speaker and holds university degrees in International Economics and Religious Studies. Additionally, Jerry operates jerryrobinson.org, an internationally known website that archives and analyzes global events through the lens of biblical prophecy.