Brussels, 09/03/2006 (Agence Europe) - On 9 March, the European Commission launched a public consultation on Radio Frequency Identification Devices (RFID) which will soon replace bar codes in supermarkets. RFID tags containing silicon chips and antennae to enable them to receive and respond to radio-frequency queries from an RFID transceiver. Once attached to goods or a group of goods, the information on the chip can be read by transceivers. Unlike with bar codes, the transceiver no longer has to be placed close to the product for identification to be possible. Fuller information can be stored on the chip, thus opening huge opportunities for society and the economy, particularly in terms of traceability of goods. However, their power to report on location, identity and history raises serious concerns about personal privacy, in addition to problems of technical interoperability and international compatibility of systems. The aim of the public consultation is to better identify the problems in order to use this new technology to derive the maximum economic and social benefit. Joint technical standards have to be set at European level to ensure cross-border interoperability and a common radio frequency for RFID agreed, while responding to the concerns that the technology raises. The public consultation will rely on a series of workshops to be held between March and June. Working from the conclusions of these workshops, the Commission will draft a working document in September in an online consultation. Responses will then be analysed and incorporated into a Commission Communication on RFID to be adopted before the end of the year. The Communication will address the need for other legislative measures on RFID, such as decisions on allocation of spectrum. At the same time, the Commission is stepping up its exchanges with Asia and the United States on RFID technologies, in order to define globally-accepted interoperability standards and practices with regards to data privacy and ethical principles. RFID “are the precursors of a world in which billions of networked objects and sensors will report their location, identity and history,” said Information Society and Media Commissioner Viviane Reding. “These networks and devices will link everyday objects into an 'internet of things' that will greatly enhance economic prosperity and the quality of life,” she continued. Mrs Reding is aware of the need for “credible safeguards” in order to harness the technology and create the right opportunities for its use for the “wider public good”.