You Can Run, But You Can't Hide: Protecting Privacy from Radio Frequency Identification Technology

RFID technology is a highly effective means of tracking products and people, and it is ready to be employed on a massive scale. Without regulation, RFID will be used to track both products and people. There is currently no government oversight of the use of RFID. Instead, the Federal Trade Commission allows companies that use RFID to self-regulate. Increasingly, RFID-tagged products are entering the stream of commerce without any notice to alert consumers to their presence. Moreover, with the development of miniscule tags, detection may become impossible unless labeling is mandated. In the absence of legislation, consumers may yet find recourse via federal or state unfair and deceptive trade practices law.