New Washington State RFID Law A Far Cry From What Assemblyman Wanted

Next Tuesday, it’s likely Washington state will have a new RFID law on its books, one that will be the first in the nation to make malicious stealing of data via RFID a crime. But the bill is a far cry from what's the bill's assemblyman sponsor had envisioned—and what he says he will still fight to get.

[...] Assemblyman Jeff Morris' original bill was aimed at retailers and would have required prior consent before stores could collect personal data.

What happened? That part of the bill was stripped out in the state senate after what Morris described as extensive retail lobbying efforts. [...] Morris vows to try and pass the law again during the next legislative session.

Social Networks are also under scrutiny by the European Commission. Both moves show that there is increased awareness that the collection of personal data will become the most sensible topic in an ever more networked society.

See also:
ENISA Position Paper Security Issues and Recommendations for Online Social Networks (pdf) by ENISA
European Commission to launch public inquiry into RFID (2006)
VENDOR-DRIVEN Theory: a vendor's conception or mental scheme of something to be done, or of the method of doing it
Do Not Track Legislation Could Change the Ad Landscape