The rapid growth of technology has made it possible to track shopping habits and consumption patterns of consumers through embedded transponders in the products they buy. Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is leading the way in the retail industry. However, consumers, privacy advocacy groups like CASPIAN (Consumers against Supermarket Privacy Invasion and Numbering) are totally against the use of these as they think that these processes breach privacy policies and contractual obligations to the consumer.

Wipro recently presented a paper at Massachussets Institute of Technology (MIT) discussing the need for developing a comprehensive public policy that balances marketers’ information needs and consumers’ concerns regarding privacy. The presentation explains various issues relating to personal data security and how current laws may impact the ability of future efforts to frame a comprehensive public policy on usage of RFID internationally.