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California Passes Bill to Safeguard RFID PrivacyThe California Senate has passed legislation to ensure that any official use of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags in state drivers’ licenses and library cards must contain privacy safeguards. The Identity Information Protection Act (SB 768), which passed August 30 by a 30–7 vote, was introduced by Sen. Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) and will go to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger for signing before the end of September. The Assembly approved its version of the bill 49–26 on August 21.The IIPA requires the California Research Bureau to conduct a study on RFID security and privacy issues and specifies interim rules for state agencies, including libraries, to follow if the technology is used before the CRB issues its report. The rules call for tamper-resistant authentication and encrypted information on the tags. The bill also sets up a state RFID advisory board composed of government officials, privacy-rights groups, and business representatives. Simitian said in the September 1 Oakland Tribune that the law is a “preventive measure. There were state agencies already starting to move in this direction” of issuing cards for various purposes, “and often enough without enough thought.” The legislation is a follow-up to a bill he proposed last year that would have placed a three-year moratorium on state use of RFID technology. However, the bill stalled in the state Assembly through successive amendments. Posted September 1, 2006. |
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