Electronic identification, personal privacy and security in the services sector

The continued proliferation of services in the economy depends on being able to make co-production secure in the matter of protecting the privacy and security of customer data/information. The increasing prevalence of electronic means of identification, from magnetic stripe cards through touch cards, GSM SIM cards, passive and active radio frequency identification (RFID) tags, to contact and contactless smart cards, has created a great increase in the efficiency of some security and consumer commercial operations, and an at least equal increase in convenience for both the public and administrators of these systems. However, these technologies are being used in ever more sensitive applications, and give rise to serious concerns over personal safety and privacy, identity theft, commercial security, and even to some extent national security.