If I give up my loyalty card, will the retailer remove me from its list?

Not necessarily. You should check the terms of the agreement before you sign up for the loyalty card. Be sure to ask how you can get your information removed if you no longer want to be part of the loyalty card scheme. 

Can retailers sell my personal information to other businesses?

Retailers cannot do anything with your personal information without your permission.  They must only use your information for clearly stated purposes and you must agree to those purposes. 

 What is RFID?

Radio frequency identification, or RFID, consists of tiny computer chips that are embedded into clothes and other products.  These chips can identify items just as barcodes can.  However, there are two important differences between RFID and barcodes.

• Barcodes identify only the product and the brand (not the individual item), but with RFID, each individual item has a unique identification.
• Barcodes must be scanned to identify the product. Items with  RFID are scanned as well, but the RFID also allows them be identified and tracked, even at a distance.

What are the privacy concerns with RFID?

If you buy an item with RFID, you can be tracked up to a certain distance, sometimes even outside the shop where you bought the item. This means that retailers can build up a profile of what items you look at in the shop and what other items you buy (possibly even in other shops too). 

If you have a loyalty card with the shop, you may have already given the retailer personal information such as your address, date of birth, likes and dislikes. If the retailer combines the information from the loyalty card with the information from the RFID, he or she could build a more detailed picture of your life.  The retailer could then use this to market other products to you. 

How will I know if RFID is present in a product I want to buy?

The computer chips can be well hidden so it may not be obvious that RFID has been placed on the product.  But there should be a statement on the tag or elsewhere on the product that it contains RFID.  If you are not sure, ask a sales assistant or manager.  You can then decide whether to buy the product or not.