9 to 5 : do you know if your boss knows where you are? : case studies of radio frequency identification usage in the workplace

Describes a case study of six enterprises that use Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags to control access in the workplace to understand their policies about personally identifiable records obtained by sensing RFID-based access cards. These policies have a number of common features, but the policies are neither documented nor shared with employees. While employees ought to be informed about uses of access control system records, implementing traditional fair information practices for such records would be impractical in some situations. Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags are finding their way into a broad range of new applications that have raised concerns about privacy that demonstrate how emerging information technologies can upset the balance of privacy, personal benefits, and public safety and security. Although proposed retail uses are new, RFID tags have been used to control access in the workplace for over a decade. The authors conducted a case study of six enterprises to understand their policies for collecting, retaining, and using personally identifiable records obtained by sensing RFID-based access cards. They found that RFID usage in the surveyed workplaces has a number of common features (data are used for more than access control, access control system records are linked with other enterprise databases, and security and employment practices trump privacy concerns), but that policies are not generally written down or communicated to employees. They conclude that although employees ought to be informed about uses of access control system records and have the right to inspect and correct records about their activities, implementing traditional fair information practices for access control systems records would be impractical for some situations, such as the individual2s ability to correct an erroneous record. Thus there is a need for a modified notion of fair information practices with regard to this use of RFID technology New information technologies have created unprecedented opportunities to collect, store, and transfer information. Technology can be applied to make our lives both easier and safer, but it can also diminish our privacy and civil liberties. Effective decision making about relationships among personal convenience, public safety, security, and privacy requires many kinds of knowledge. Together with Carnegie Mellon University, we outlined an empirical approach to generating such knowledge (Balkovich et al., 2004). As a starting point, RAND examined a commonly used information technology-Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags in access cards. Access cards are often used in the workplace to control entry to facilities. Data describing a card's use by an individual employee can be collected by an access control system and analyzed. This common deployment of RFID technology should require policies to balance the concerns of personal convenience, security, and privacy when access cards are used. This report examines such contemporary workplace policies Rebuilding public health and health care delivery systems has been an important component of nation-building efforts conducted after major conflicts. However, few studies have attempted to examine a comprehensive set of cases, compare the quantitative and qualitative results, and outline best practices. The study assesses seven cases of nation-building operations following major conflicts: Germany and Japan immediately after World War II; Somalia, Haiti, and Kosovo in the 1990s; and Afghanistan and Iraq since 2001. It concludes that two factors increase the likelihood of successful health outcomes: planning and coordination, and infrastructure and resources. In addition, the study argues that health can have an independent impact on broader political, economic, and security objectives during nation-building operations Describes a case study of six enterprises that use Radio Frequence Identification (RFID) tags to control access in the workplace to understand their policies about personally identifiable records obtained by sensing RFID-based access cards. These policies have a number of common features, but the policies are neither documented nor shared with employees. While employees ought to be informed about uses of access control system records, implementing traditional fair information practices for such records would be impractical in some situations. Privacy In The Workplace -- Methods -- What We Found -- Architecture Of The Rfid Systems Studied -- Responses To Interview Questions -- Results -- Discussion -- Recommendations -- Reality Vs. Recommendations. Edward Balkovich, Tora K. Bikson, Gordon Bitko. Tr-197. Includes Bibliographical References. Also Available Via The Internet.