COPYCENSE

"Some college libraries have replaced the bar codes on their books with high-tech tags that can silently transmit information, a change that might escape the notice of most patrons. But privacy advocates hope you take a closer look.

"The new tags use radio-frequency identification, or RFID. They have made the news recently as a tool to make retail stores more efficient at inventory control and theft prevention — and also as a potential source of snooping. Recently, libraries have starting adopting the tags as well.

"With their encased microchips, RFID tags can transmit information to devices designed to pick up the signals and interpret them. Some privacy advocates worry that a day will come when a library book’s tag could broadcast information about a patron to anyone nearby with a tag-reading device — stalkers, snoops, corporate marketers, or G-men."

Scott Carlson. Talking Tags. The Chronicle of Higher Education. August 6, 2004.

See also Electronic Frontier Foundation. ACTION ALERT: A Chance to Keep RFIDs Out of San Francisco Public Libraries.

Editor’s note: See also SNTReport.com’s prior  story on library’s RFID usage.