Consumer Beliefs about Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) Systems

摘要

The most widely publicized privacy concern about Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) systems revolves around the inclusion of RFID tags in consumer goods, with the concomitant fear that parties other than the consumer will be able to detect the presence and location of a tagged object. The author used a conceptual framework developed by Mick and Fournier (1998) to understand consumer reactions to RFID technology. Results of a survey of a random sample of N=60 U.S. respondents showed that consumers have little knowledge of RFID technology. About half expressed concerns for privacy related to RFID. Elements of the framework predicted these concerns. Those who were better informed about RFID were also more likely to express concerns about freedom and dependency related to the technology.