Personal Privacy Summary

Though the technology of RFID tags does not put everyone in immediate danger, it does present risk to personal privacy. In Alejandro Martinez’s article, “Privacy concerns grow with the use of RFID tags,” he shows the reader the incredible benefits of the technology, as well as Ozer’s example of the technology being used for kidnapping. Yet, the problem is not with RFID tags themselves, but with the almost none-existent boundary between legal and illegal use. RFID tags, like non-military drones, are not inherently wrong, but have the potential for awful actions. Yet, without creating legal boundaries, it could be stated that some privacy issues are self-inflicted. Companies who use RFID tags have the moral obligations to only gather necessary information from the consumer and to refuse to sell consumer information to third-party companies. Martinez gives a great example of a gaining excess information through Walmart keeping RFID tags active, after the consumer has left the store (Martinez, “Privacy concerns”). By doing this, Walmart not only loses credibility, they also become invasive to their consumers. In addition, without the obligation of refusing to sell …show more content…
RFID tags are very beneficial in saving business’ time and money, as well as lowering cost for the consumer (Impinj, “What Is RFID”). If one were to believe Bentham’s idea that good and pleasure are synonymous (qtd. in “Utilitarianism”) than the benefits would be able to outweigh the privacy infringements and justify the use of this technology. Yet, the article also discusses the levels of value (“Nathanson, “Utilitarianism”) which adds difficulty in coming to a conclusion. More specifically, since privacy infractions are considered, it could be argued that the technology is wrong because, in the near future, the majority may be negatively effected from RFID