The Foreign Service Journal, December 2005

There is little recourse for malfunctioning RFID equip- ment. Third, and equally important, is the fact that there is no certification or registry recognizing approved system integrators, RFID consultants and trainers. Some com- panies do train on their own equipment, but a vendor- neutral solution to certifying providers is not yet avail- able. Especially because RFID technology is remotely readable, invisible and capturing data in real time, trust that the data are being captured and transmitted safely and securely is essential for its spread. Finally, there is the challenge of misinformation and confusion about RFID that is more pervasive than the technology’s advocates want to believe. Education is key to defusing misinformation. RFID is a generic technolo- gy with many possible applications, each of which has its own benefits and limitations. Currently, however, each industry using RFID has mounted its own informational campaign, and the resulting consumer confusion is echoed in the press, thus confounding any inherent mis- understandings about the technology. Establish- ment of recognized, certified courses in its fundamentals is still a work in progress. Acceptance of any disruptive technology — and RFID is one — takes time. We take bar-code technolo- gy for granted now, but it took at least 20 years for it to be incorporated as a mainstay of commerce. RFID technology presents a similar challenge to the way we live and work around the world. Thanks to G. Matthew Ezovski, a senior engineering student at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y., and a 2005 Washington Internships for Students of Engineering (WISE) intern, whose paper summarizing the e-passport policy, “Biometric Passports: Policy for International and Domestic Deployment” ( Journal of Engineering and Public Policy , Vol. 9, 2005), was helpful in preparing this article. It is available at http://www.wise intern.org. n F O C U S D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 5 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 35 Get Your Finances In Line With SDFCU Online You can depend on State Department Federal Credit Union for the ultimate in security and convenience with SDFCU Online banking. This FREE service allows you to access your Credit Union accounts via the Internet anytime, from anywhere in the world. Just go to www.sdfcu.org and click the SDFCU Online logo. You can conduct the following Credit Union business: Transfer funds between accounts Check current account balances View your account history over the last 15 months View check images View and pay your credit card bill online Pay Bills and much more!* See just how easy SDFCU Online is! Visit us at www.sdfcuonline.org and check out the easy demo! If you’re interested in becoming a member of State Department Federal Credit Union, give our Member Service Center a call at 703- 706-5000 , or outside the D.C. Metro area at 800-296-8882 . You can also email us at sdfcu@sdfcu.org . SDFCU Online puts us at your service, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, whenever you need us the most. Sign up today! *The Bill Payer service is available at no charge for Capital Club members. Otherwise, there is a low monthly fee of $3.95 for unlimited transactions.