Oklahoma Governor Vetoes Anti-RFID Bill

PRESS RELEASE

ALEXANDRIA, Va. - The governor of Oklahoma has vetoed anti-RFID legislation that was opposed by the Security Industry Association.

H.B. 2569 would have prohibited the use of radio frequency identification (RFID) technology in drivers’ licenses and identification cards in the state. SIA on April 26 wrote to Oklahoma Gov. Brad Henry to urge him to veto the bill.

“SIA members are concerned that HB 2569 could have dire unintended consequences on technology used to ensure the validity of identification credentials,” the letter from SIA CEO Richard Chace stated. “If enacted into law, this proposal would drive the use of alternative technologies that are less secure and more likely to compromise the personal information of Oklahomans.”

The proposal grew out of fears that the use of RFID technology will have negative effects on privacy, but the SIA letter stated that such concerns reflect “common misperceptions about RFID applications that are based upon twisted facts and emotions generated by ill-informed ‘privacy rights’ advocates.”

SIA did acknowledge that “there may be some legitimate concerns about the use of RFID technology in certain applications” and offered to work with the governor and Oklahoma lawmakers “to ensure that legitimate privacy concerns associated with the use of RFID applications are thoroughly researched and analyzed by government and industry technical experts.”

“Governor, please be assured that safeguarding the privacy of personal information collected through government-issued identification documents is of paramount concern to our membership,” the letter stated.

SIA has been active on the RFID issue in several states and twice helped to convince California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to veto anti-RFID bills.

The Security Industry Association (www.siaonline.org) is the leading trade group for businesses in the electronic and physical security market. SIA protects and advances its members' interests by advocating pro-industry policies and legislation on Capitol Hill and throughout the 50 states; producing cutting-edge global market research; creating open industry standards that enable integration; advancing industry professionalism through education and training; opening global market opportunities; and providing sole sponsorship of the ISC Expos, the world's largest security trade shows and conferences.