The Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario Monday introduced RFID guidelines(PDF) to separate fact from fiction and prepare consumers for the day when they may have to deal with the technology on a daily basis.

Ann Cavoukian’s five-page report calls for businesses that are considering the use of radio frequency identification (RFID) technology to take several factors into account. Among them are:

• An individual at the company should be appointed to ensure that privacy measures are in place
  
• Companies must seek consent from individuals before collecting personal information via RFID technology
  
• Collection should be limited to the minimum amount of information necessary
  
• Employees that may have access to the personal information be trained in its appropriate use
  
• Safeguards should be put in place to prevent the loss or theft of information that is stored on an RFID tag
  

The Guidelines are based on three overarching principles, including:

• Focus on RFID information systems, not technologies: The problem does not lie with RFID technologies themselves, but rather, the way in which they are deployed that can have privacy implications. The Guidelines should be applied to RFID information systems as a whole, rather than to any single technology component or function;
  
• Build in privacy and security from the outset – at the design stage: Just as privacy concerns must be identified in a broad and systemic manner, so, too, must the technological solutions be addressed systemically. A thorough privacy impact assessment is critical. Users of RFID technologies and information systems should address the privacy and security issues early in the design stages, with a particular emphasis on data minimization. This means that wherever possible, efforts should be made to minimize the identifiability, observability and linkability of RFID data; and
  
• Maximize individual participation and consent : Use of RFID information systems should be as open and transparent as possible, and afford individuals with as much opportunity as possible to participate and make informed decisions.
  

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