RFID Tags for children

In Japan, school authorities in Osaka have decided to go ahead and install RFID tags in school gates, and other key locations to trach children's movements. The chips will also be put into the children's schoolbags, name tags and clothing.

RFID tags or Radio Frequency Identification tags is a method to store and retrieve data remotely from products that have those tags.

RFID tags are becoming common feature in today's retails life, pushed forward by companies like Wal-Mart and similar. They have their positive features, as they allow a supply chain to be streamlined, make companies more efficient and reduce waste. Nevertheless, privacy concerns are abound, since purchasers of those products are not necessarily aware of them.

It is obvious that authorities want to increase control over the children to avoid cases of kidnapping or other happenings that are increasingly common in Japan. It is not clear, if parents have a saying in these circumstance, like, if they can reject the motion to have RFID tags in their children's baggage or clothing. The scarier part actually is that authorities take this step without apparent involvement of the parents, and hence, overruling any possible objection.