A newly released report from the The U.S. Department of Homeland Security states there are only “specific, narrowly defined situations in which RFID is appropriate for human identification.” In most cases, the technology “appears to offer little benefit when compared to the consequences it brings for privacy and data integrity.”

The 15-page draft report, “The Use of RFID for Human Identification,” critiques a number of planned applications the technology, but contends that RFID often “increases risks to personal privacy and security, with no commensurate benefit for performance or national security.”

The department is requesting written comments be made via e-mail to privacycommittee@dhs.gov, by postal mail, or by fax by 12 p.m. EST on May 22, 2006. All comments will be made public on the Privacy Committee’s Web site.