RFID Chips To Track Movement At Airports, page 1

A new system being worked on at the University College, London utilizing RFID chips and video cameras could be used in the near future to track the movement of passengers at airports.

news.com.com
The inventors of a new monitoring system that uses RFID tags claim it could improve airport security by tracking passengers as they mingle in the departure lounge.

The plan is to issue an RFID (radio frequency identification) tag to every passenger at check-in so human traffic can be monitored throughout the airport via transponders and video cameras.

Paul Brennan, an electrical engineer at University College London, heads the project, which features an RFID technology called Optag. Funded by the European Union, the technology is being developed by a consortium of European companies and the university. Brennan told Silicon.com that a prototype RFID tag will be tested in an airport in Hungary next month.

Brennan said that if the trials in Hungary are a success and the technology attracts customers, it could arrive in airports within two years.

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Personally, I think I would much rather have RFID chips put on my luggage, then there would be less of a chance of it getting lost or put on the wrong plane. But I don't think anyone needs to know where *I* go while I'm at the airport, nor do I think it is any of their business. I also doubt it would help in thwarting a terrorist attack.

Secondly, the article states that a "consortium of European companies" are partially funding this project. What commercial interest would there be in tracking someones movements at the airport, and why would they be permitted to do so?

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www.guardian.co.uk
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