Next-gen RFID includes privacy

The newest RFID tags will be out by next fall and, interestingly, will feature privacy technology, ZDNET UK reports. The technology is now reaching global standardization, which means it'll be adopted exponentially. As for the privacy tech in the new G2 (2nd-generation) chips, it involves "encryption, password protection, and authentication in order to protect the data stored on the RFID tags and their databases. That's good news in this climate of widespread identity theft and if schools try again to use this technology on student IDs. For recent news on RFID and kids, see my feature of that title in February. For dealing with ID theft, see the Washington Post's "Avoiding Identity Theft: A Primer" and "Has Your Identity Been Stolen? What to do if it happens to you" at Slate, now owned by the Post (formerly by Microsoft).