RFID at TechEd 2005

Following on from my last post about QR codes, here’s one about RFID.

I was watching another of the video podcasts from Microsoft’s TechEd 2005. This one was an interview with Brian Keller (a Microsoftie). My ears perked up when he said that all the attendee badges had RFID tags, and that Microsoft were using them to track movements of attendees and staff around the conference. He was careful to stress that Microsoft were only collecting "anonymous data", however, the fact remains that each tag has a unique ID, and therefore it would be very easy to track individuals should an organisation desire to do so.

Thin end of the wedge time. I also wonder if Microsoft will be able to repeat this exercise in Amsterdam for the European TechEd next month. The EU has much stricter regulations around data privacy. I wonder whether this will extend to attendees having to sign for their badges at registration to signify that they agree to Microsoft tracking their movements, even if it is in aggregate?