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Chapter 8 Process technology 217
Figure 8.4 Using radio-frequency identification for control of operations processes
could be immediately identified. Shoppers could easily scan products to learn more about
its characteristics and features while they are in the store; waiting at checkout counters could
be eliminated because items will be scanned automatically by readers; the bill could even be
automatically debited from your personal account as you leave the store. There are also
potential benefits in tracking products after they leave the store. Data on how customers use
products could be collected automatically and accurate recycling of waste materials would be
made considerably easier. However, there are significant issues regarding customer privacy
in extending data capture from products beyond the checkout.
Critical commentary
The idea of Auto-ID opens up many ethical issues. People see its potential and its dangers
in very different ways. Take the following two statements.
‘We are on the brink of a revolution of “smart products” that will interconnect everyday
objects, consumers and manufacturers in a dynamic cycle of world commerce. ...The
vision of the Auto-ID centre is to create a universal environment in which computers
understand the world without help from human beings.’
‘Supermarket cards and other retail surveillance devices are merely the opening volley
of the marketers’ war against consumers. If consumers fail to oppose these practices
now our long-term prospects may look like something from a dystopian science-fiction
novel. . . . though many Auto-ID proponents appear focused on inventory and supply
chain efficiency, others are developing financial and consumer applications that, if
adopted, will have chilling effects on consumers’ ability to escape the oppressive
surveillance of manufacturers, retailers, and marketers. Of course, government and law
enforcement will be quick to use the technology to keep tabs on citizens as well.’
It is this last issue which particularly scares some civil liberties activists. Keeping track
of items within a supply chain is a relatively uncontentious issue. Keeping track of items
when those items are identified with a particular individual going about their everyday
lives, is far more problematic. So, beyond the checkout for every arguably beneficial
application there is also potential for misuse. For example, smart tags could drastically
reduce theft because items could automatically report when they are stolen, their tags
serving as a homing device pinpoint their exact location. But, similar technology could be
used to trace any citizen, honest or not.