What you need to know about EPC and RFID

EPCglobal and its members consider your right to privacy to be one of the key factors in the development of RFID technology. That's why it created the Electronic Product Code. The EPC is nothing more than a string of numbers that give objects a unique identity. No personal information is ever part of any EPC.

Just like barcodes, the EPC can be linked (in a database) to additional information, such as the product's origin, date of manufacture and delivery conditions. For instance, a maker of sausages tags a container of fresh wurst. If tainted meat is discovered, the sausage-maker will be able to track the meat all the way back to his own production line and identify more quickly what has gone wrong.

Protecting private information

Benefits such as these mean a safer and better world for consumers. EPCglobal is working with the European Union and consumer protection organisations to safeguard your private information with strict guidelines in addition to national and European law, while at the same time ensuring that consumers and the market reap the full benefits of RFID.

Not all RFID applications use the Electronic Product Code and not all of them are only designed to identify products. As you have seen in the general RFID section, the range of applications and technologies is immense. However, whether RFID applications are designed to identify people, animals or simply objects, strict respect for your right to privacy must be assured in each case.