RFID tagging debate at conference
3 Oct 05
Law Society of Scotland's annual Nothing but the Net conference tackles controversial issue
The implications of controversial radio frequency ID tagging (RFID) will be debated at the Law Society of Scotland's sixth annual Nothing but the Net conference at Glasgow's Royal Concert Hall today.
The benefits of the technology versus fears it could lead to an Orwellian "Big Brother" future of surveillance will be discussed during an open question and answer session.
William Roebuck, of law firm Bird & Bird, will highlight the advantages RFID brings to supply chain management while Christopher McDermott, from advocacy group NoTags, is to argue that tagging will lead to an invasion of personal privacy.
Conference convener and chair of the Society's information technology committee Paul Motion, of Ledingham Chalmers, and Gillian Cameron, IP and technology partner at Maclay Murray Spens, will also sit on the panel for the Q&A session to provide legal opinion for both sides of the argument.
Science fiction now
Paul Motion said: "RFID technology sounds like something from science fiction, but it has been with us for some time and has the potential for application across many areas.
"It's already being used by manufacturers and retailers to track goods from the factory to the shop shelves to improve the supply chain. However, this has led to concerns about whether tracking continues once the product has left the shop and the possibilities of tagging giving retailers too much information about personal consumer preferences."
Mr Motion added: "RFID has created two completely opposing standpoints and it raises a number of complex legal issues that are currently being examined by an EU working party. It has stated that while its advantages seem apparent, there are concerns about the possibility of businesses and governments using it to pry into the private lives of individuals. There are also fears that its use could lead to high tech crimes where criminals can assess the 'value' of their victim."
This year's Nothing but the Net conference, sponsored by nFlow Scotland, is set to be the biggest yet with up to 250 delegates expected.