RFID in ID cards still a compelling option for healthcare, immigration

BTC - RFID or radio frequency ID, a widget identity technology used in retail sales, has had it's day in the sun due to a misanthropic association with surveillance.  The fact is RFID is an evolving technology and tool serving a multitude of purposes.   RFID, like scorpions or rattlesnakes, left to their own devices are harmless.  However, when applied to intimate spaces the prospects for damage to privacy increase exponentially.

HEALTHCARE

Contracts for modern health records management, data storage and health card utility are constantly negotiating what technologies are most effective at costs to perform for patients.  Avnet , and RFID proponent will be speaking to hospital administrators at the Medical Design and Manufacturing East Conference about RFID as an option for patient health cards, Monday June 7th.

IMMIGRATION

Chief concern with new licenses and identity cards have been fraud and "tamper proof" cards.  Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) compliant border cards and legalized immigrants receiving Green cards might have to put up with a laser optical RFID strip.  If we want to find out whether or not these RFID strips broadcast the information the same way RFIDs have in the past within it's "optical security media" might require another MythBuster's visit.

IN OTHER NEWS:
World of Warcraft's social networking UI "Real ID" impacts gamer privacy

Virtual privacy is being challenged and impacted by World of Warcraft's Real ID.  One of Warcraft's social networking strategies was to get Facebook's technology integrated with their systems.

"If you aren't familiar with it, Real ID is the new feature for the latest iteration of battle.net where you can friend people you know and communicate with them no matter what Blizzard game they are playing (although, for now, this will only pertain to WoW and StarCraft II, eventually Diablo III). In SC2, the only way you can add someone as a friend is to have their email address. Furthermore, this is their battle.net email address. And if they accept, it shows their real-life name."