LTO to implement RFID tags on motor vehicles

News about the Land Transportation Office (LTO) implementing RFID tagging on all motor vehicles this October has been making the rounds of the evening news today.

When I first heard about it on the car’s radio, I was surprised — wow, the LTO is going hi-tech. That should be nice. However, some sectors are blocking this move claiming privacy issues.

lto rfid

Nevertheless, from a technical point of view, I think this move by LTO offers more advantages than disadvantages.

This technology is not really new to Philippine highways. The ePass that thousands of cars use to drive thru tollways (NLEX and SLEX) is powered by RFID.

rfid

This October 2009, the Department of Foreign Affairs will also implement RFID on all new Passports (ePassport). If you renew your old green passport, it will be replaced with a brown RFID-tagged passport.

Private schools are already using RFID in student IDs for borrowing books and also gates in the campus have RFID ID Scanners (e.g. Claret School of Quezon City and Colegio de San Juan de Letran).

The clothes that you buy in Bench and other apparel stores are also tagged with RFIDs. Those steel gates at the entrance serve as an RFID scanner.

If the same technology is used for all registered cars, it could be a convenience in so many ways:

Renewals of vehicle registration could be made faster/easier.
It could also be used to easily identify stolen vehicles.
All cars can be readily equipped with ePass too — the lines would be faster at the toll gates especially during peak hours. This can also be implemented in parking lots too.
No need to go to LTO to pay traffic violations. Your RFID could be charged directly (contactless payment) after citation — no more confiscation of driver’s license. That could practically eradicate kotong (what’s the English equivalent?) since traffic cops can no longer blackmail you into going to a 3-day driving seminar in exchange for a small tip.

RFID works like a short-distance radio signal, normally around 10 feet or 3 meters. As such, it cannot be efficiently used to track objects the way GPS can. The issue about privacy is a legitimate concern though.

I still think it’s a good move, though. From reports I’ve heard, the tags will cost motorists around Php400USD 7INR 578EUR 6CNY 50 a pop. I thought that’s a bit expensive since RFID tags are really cheap nowadays.

Abe Olandres

Abe is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of YugaTech with over 20 years of experience in the technology industry. He is one of the pioneers of blogging in the country and considered by many as the Father of Tech Blogging in the Philippines. He is also a technology consultant, a tech columnist with several national publications, resource speaker and mentor/advisor to several start-up companies.

https://www.yugatech.com

100 Comments

J Rosauro says:

16 years ago

only those people who have something to hide, or who are actually hiding, are against such move, just like the objections raised against a national ID system…
- Reply
Armi I says:

16 years ago

If you dont hve something to hide, then why you will object? i’m in favor of this implementation. Much better if the trafic enforcer impost speedcam as well.

WD LTO
- Reply
Dave says:

16 years ago

I don’t have something to hide, but I think it’s wrong to track people (and their vehicles) like animals. I don’t want the RFID on my car, but I guess it will be shoved down my throat.
- Reply
Promdi says:

16 years ago

Ok lang naman ang RFID kung same infos as OR/CR ng vehicle lang ang makukuha nila. It’s not like gov’t can track you down esp kung 10ft lang ang signal na maeemit nito. Dapat lang na may GPRS ang lahat ng govt vehicles para mabawasan ang pag gamit nito nang personal ng mga opisyal.
- Reply
deuts says:

16 years ago

It’s good to hear about this issue from the expert, yugatech.
- Reply
Essays.ph says:

16 years ago

RFID – Future mark of the beast…

Just a tip. ^_^
- Reply
buzz says:

16 years ago

tracking people using rfid? i dont thinks so especially that the frequency range of rfid is so short…
- Reply
Kimpao says:

16 years ago

There’s nothing wrong with the RFID system that LTO is trying to implement. What matters is discipline on both the enforcers and the drivers. No matter how much technology you shove down into everyones throat , at the end of the day it still boils down as to how disciplined both will be on the road. Just like CCTV cameras, you get to see who’s involved, what and how it happened, kita mo na kung sino-sino ang kriminal pero, nahuhuli o hinuhuli ba? Second, hindi naman talaga yun RFID ang issue dun, the issue is why wasn’t the public consulted first, why the sudden implementation and most of all WHY this project never went into the process of public bidding? It’s so obvious that people in the LTO and Stradcom are trying to party, again.
- Reply
Dave says:

16 years ago

You can read RFID tags from 30 feet, and up to 60 feet or so with the right equipment. Anybody can buy the readers. They’re not that expensive. Anybody can read whatever is on the RFID tags (not only the LTO). They could encrypt the data, but typically don’t, and even if they do it’s usually weak encryption.
- Reply
Anne says:

16 years ago

I think the brown passport is different from the ePassport. I have a brown passport and the ePassport will be released this October. The ePassport is just a card not the typical passport book type.
- Reply