Electronic Frontier Foundation

June23, 2004

SanFranciscoBoard of Supervisors
City Hall
1 Dr. Carlton B. GoodlettPlace,Room 244
SanFrancisco,CA 94102-4689

RE: Opposition of the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) to San Francisco

Public Library Radio-Frequency m (RFm) Book-Tagging Plan

Dear BudgetCommitteeChair GerardoSandoval,

Budget CommitteeVice-chair Chris Daly, and
BudgetCommitteememberJakeMcGoldrick:

EFF hasopposedand continuesto opposelibrary useof RFIDs for book tagging,

including the S.F.Public Library RFID book-taggingplan.

Thus, I was pleasedto hearthat Vice-chair Daly moved to cut funding for the library's
RFID plan, and that Chair Sandovalsecondedthe motion at the June 19 Budget
Committeemeeting. I understandthat opengovernmentrules preventeda vote that day,
but may pennit sucha vote at your June24 meeting.
I am concerned,however,that the library may havegiven the BudgetCommitteethe
impressionthat EFF no longer opposesthe plan.

I write to setthe recordstraight. EFF hasbeenopposedto the useof RFID tagsby

libraries sinceOctober2003. I sentcritical commentsto the Library Commission
explainingour oppositionjust prior to the Oct. 2, 2003meetingat which the Commission
was scheduledto adopta library "strategicplan" that includeda plan for using RFID tags.
I urgedthe Commissionto reject the RFID plan, not only on privacy grounds,but also
becauseof its likely fiscal costs.
Sincethat time EFF has continuedto opposelibrary and otheruseof RFID tags.

. In November,I testified at a statesenatehearingheld by Sen.DebraBowen

expressinggreatconcernaboutthe privacy issuesraisedby governmentuseof
RFill tagsin generaland library usein particular.

. In NovemberEFFjoined numerousotherprivacy and consumergroupsin a joint

statementagainstthe useofRFID tagsin consumeritems. See
http://www.eff.org/Privacy/Surveillance/RFID/rfid-POsitiolLstatement.php
. In JanuaryI spoketo the AmericanLibrary Association(ALA) in SanDiego,
againexpressingoppositionto library RFID use.

454 Shotwell Street. San Francisco, CA 94110 USA

0+14154369333 0+14154369993 Owww.eff.org 0 info@eff.org
SanFranciscoBoard of Supervisors
June23, 2004
Page2

. On March 4, 2003, I againspokein oppositionto the library's plan, this time at a

public forwn devotedto the RFID issue. I have appearedat two other Library
Commissionmeetings(April! andMay 6), eachtime urging the Commissionto
reject the plan.

. In May, I gavea presentationaboutthe privacy issuesraisedby RFID useto a

panelof the ComputerScienceandTelecommunicationsBoard of the National
Academyof Sciencesin Seattle.

. This pastMonday, I spokeat a FederalTradeCommissionworkshopon RFID

technology,againexpressingprivacy concernsaboutgovernmentand library
RFID use.

. This coming Sunday,I will be speakingat the American Library Association

meetingin Orlando,Florida, urging the ALA to reject library RFill use.

After the library commissionvoted to proceedwith the library's RFID pl~ city librarian
SusanHildreth askedme ifEFF was interestedin working with the library on its RFID
vendorRFP (requestfor proposal)to addressour privacy issues. I told Ms. Hildreth that
EFF was tentatively willing to do so.
I madeclear,however,that EFF was not endorsingthe RFill plan. I merely hopedto
mitigate the privacy risks if the city were to adoptthe library RFill plan despiteour
opposition- in short,to makethe bestof a bad situation. I addthat it was not clear to me
at the time (or now) whetherEFF would be ableto work with the library at all, depending
on the opennessof the processand EFF'sability to speakpublicly aboutinformation
learnedduring the process.
In conclusion,EFF remainsopposedto library useofRFID tags. My willingness to work
with the library to reducethe privacy risks associatedwith library RFID useshouldnot
be takenas approvalor endorsementof the library's RFID plan. I urge the Budget
Committeeand the Board of Supervisorsto cut funding for the library RFID plan.

Sincerelyyours,

i.~~- ~'Z:~-~_..",",
Lee Tien
SeniorStaff Attorney
ElectronicFrontier Foundation
(415) 436-9333x 102
tien@eff.org
SanFranciscoBoard of Supervisors
June23,2004
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cc via facsimile and email:

SupervisorMichela Alioto-Pier
SupervisorTom Ammiano
SupervisorBevanDufty
SupervisorMatt Gonzalez
SupervisorTony Hall
SupervisorFiona Ma
SupervisorSophieMaxwell
SupervisorAaron Peskin
Mayor Gavin Newsom