RFID Can Be Your Friend!

I think there are a few issues, depending on what specific application your looking at. The first issue is that there really is not any specific standard for it. Different frequencies have different advantages and challenges. Higher frequencies (UHF, Microwave) can send and receive at good distances, but are prone to distortion and interference, particularly by nearby metal. They also use active tags, which are far more expensive to produce and only make sense for tagging pallets and the like. Low frequency (13.56 MHz) can be produced in a passive mode, for relatively cheap. This makes sense for tagging individual items. However, these tags are generally only for low read distances (3-6 feet). Apart from these, there are still a multitude of available frequencies and tag designs. This makes it very difficult for any manufacturer and/or user to commit to a particular formula. No one wants to invest in or buy the "Betamax" of RFID. The conspiracy theories are nonsense, and are usually things that are not even technologically feasible yet. Remember, we were all supposed to have barcodes tattooed on us by now!?!

But seriously, I think if the recession in the US is real and lasts a few years, it could be a blessing in disguise for the future of RFID. It would take a major organization to manage itself well enough through the recession to come out of it in a cash rich position. It might then be able to make a major investment in the technology, and force a standard to be adopted. As long as companies are scrambling to maintain profitability levels there is not enough incentive to make the investment required for this to happen. The Walmart experiment has been a failure for the most part.

RFID can be a vector for identity theft:

http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/news/index.cfm?newsid=8603