Should we be afraid of RFID?

By Chris Shore

Radio Frequency Identification, abbreviated RFID, is a way of automatically identifying a person or thing using radio waves. RFID chips can be as small as the head of a pin. It is this microtechnology, and new uses for RFID, that lead many to consider it the possible “mark of the beast.” And while RFID could be used in the way described, that is no reason to fear it.

RFID’s basic technology is simple: the object that needs to be identified has a small chip placed on or in the object. This chip will respond to a radio wave with an identification signal that tells the receiving device whatever information is needed. The most common use is as a theft deterrent system at major retailers. If an id is sent to the scanners at the exit doors, an alarm is sounded, alerting security. Recent uses of RFID include tagging pets. A microscopic chip is injected under the skin of an animal with the owner’s information. If a stray pet is found with one of these chips, a quick scan will reveal who the animal belongs to, complete with contact information.

Recent credit card technologies have combined with RFID to make purchasing quicker and easier. Companies are beginning to issue special cards that do not need to be swiped in a machine. Rather, these specialty cards are waived near a scanner and the credit card information is transmitted. Exxon and Mobile have even released fashionable key chains using this technology for their Speedpass payment system.

Combining the usage for pets with the usage for purchasing would create a chip that could be implanted under the skin of a human and used to speed retail transactions. It is this usage that draws parallels to the “mark of the beast” mentioned in Revelation 13:17 (NIV) where, “… no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark.” In a world where checks are rarely accepted and cash is portrayed in VISA commercials as slowing down society, the ease and speed of swiping a hand near a scanner and walking out seems inevitable.