Nationwide tracking devices are always a cause for concern in an age of increasing government surveillance. The most recent scheme to keep tabs on every citizen stems from Malaysia. The country’s Road Transport Department announced a plan to implement road tax stickers equipped with Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) chips on every vehicle by 2018.⁽¹⁾

RFID is a controversial technology that uses tiny microchips to keep track of devices from a distance. Infamously known as “spy chips,” each chip has its own identification number. They have been implemented by big companies like Wal-Mart and Gap to reduce inventory and the frequency of thefts. Once the product leaves the store, the RFID should be disabled, since it is no longer part of the inventory, but there is no assurance yet that that is the case.⁽²⁾

Privacy rights be damned

Privacy rights be damned. The RFID technology has assured a new era for “vehicle security” in Malaysia. The new system will allow the police and other state authorities to track down criminals and other persons of interest. The RFID shatters if anyone tampers with it and sends a signal to police if it is removed. By 2018, approximately 28 million vehicles will have an RIFD road tax sticker in Malaysia.⁽¹⁾

Although the RFID has benefits in theory, that does not mean it is immune to abuse. They have been criticized in the U.S., UK, Australia and France as an invasion of privacy. Government agencies may track consumers who remove the sticker as a “threat” simply because they did not want the spy chip on their vehicle. In addition, although the identification code is encrypted, that by no means guarantees that the data will remain secure.⁽¹⁾

Consumers ought to have the right to know whether the item they purchased has an RFID tag. More importantly, consumers ought to be able disable the RFID tag once the item is purchased. By implementing RFID tags on all private vehicles in Malaysia, the country trades the privacy of its people for greater centralized government control.

Sources include:

(1) theSundaily.my

(2) StreetDirectory.com