EU to write rules on RFID

歐盟將制定RFID規則

Commission says it sees need for rules to 'address ethical implications, the need to protect privacy and security'

歐盟委員會表示需要規則以“提出倫理的含意，保護隱私和安全的需要”

BRUSSELS, Belgium, March 21, 2007— Privacy and security need to be built into radio frequency identification tags before they become widespread, the European Commission said, announcing it would publish guidelines later this year.

布魯塞爾3月21日消息——歐洲委員會表示，在無線射頻識別技術（RFID）標簽廣泛使用之前需要制定隱私和安全條款，并宣布將在今年的晚些時候發表指導規則。

RFID chips can be used to automatically identify and verify passports, luggage, livestock or pharmaceuticals and have a wide range of potential uses - from telling doctors what medicines patients have been given to instantly pointing out expired food.

RFID芯片可以用于自動識別和檢驗護照、行李、牲畜或者醫藥品，而且可能應用范圍廣闊，從告訴醫生病人吃了什么藥到可以即刻指出過期的食品。

Advocates of the technology - which for now is used mainly on cases of items in warehouses, not individual products - laud its ability to speed inventory and checkout. But opponents say that because wireless chips can be read from afar, people and their purchases could be surreptitiously tracked.

該技術目前主要應用于倉庫的整存儲產品，而不是單類產品，提倡者稱贊它快速了解存貨清單和查看的能力，而該項技術的反對者則表示無線芯片可以被遠程讀取，使用者和他們購買的物品可能被秘密跟蹤。

The EU executive's call for public comments on RFID last year unearthed "a strong lack of awareness and considerable concern among citizens," the Commission said.     

去年歐盟執行委員會征求公眾對RFID的評論，委員會表示結果是“公眾極度缺少認識和關心”。

It said it would work to "stress the absolute need for citizens to decide how their personal data is used" in an effort to help the technology gain ground in Europe.

委員會表示將在努力幫助在歐洲普及該技術的同時，致力于“強調公眾決定他們的個人數據被如何利用的絕對必要”。

The RFID market is growing at a slower pace in Europe than in other regions even though countries such as Germany already insert the chips into passports.

歐洲RFID市場的增長比其它地區都要緩慢，即使是在例如德國等已經在護照上植入了芯片的國家。

The Commission said it saw a need for EU rules to "address ethical implications, the need to protect privacy and security."

委員會表示其已經注意到需要歐盟規則以“提出倫理的含意，保護隱私和安全的需要”。

EU Media Commissioner Viviane Reding said her office would draft rules this year to amend EU e-privacy law to take account of RFID. It would also set up a group with industry representatives to focus on privacy, trust and governance and report back by the end of 2008 on any broader changes needed to EU laws.

歐盟媒體專員Viviane Reding表示她的部門將在今年起草規則，使歐盟的電子隱私法律把RFID納入考慮。它還將成立一個由業界代表組成的小組，關注于隱私、信任和管理，到2008年底的時候就歐盟法律需要的任何更大的改變提交相關報告。

"We should stimulate the use of RFID technology in Europe whilst safeguarding personal data and privacy," Reding said.

Reding表示：“我們應該鼓勵在歐洲應用RFID技術，但同時也要保護個人數據和隱私。”

In a strategy paper published last week, the EU said research was needed to make tags more secure - through authentication and encryption. The Commission is a major source of public funding for European research and development and said it would stimulate efforts to make RFID more secure.  

歐盟在上周發表的一份策略文件里表示，有必要通過鑒定和加密研究使標簽更安全。委員會是歐洲研發的一個主要公共資金來源，它表示將激勵更多的努力使RFID變得更安全。        

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