A discussion about RFID

My class is talking about the viability of using RFID technology to subnet networks as an alternative to moving away from IPv4 because IPv6 is so complex, so I did some research.

The Internet is running out of public IP addresses to assign to websites and devices publicly connected to the Internet.  The current standard in use, IPv4, supports about 4.3 billion addresses (2^32), with more than 588 million of those assigned to the private address range which is not routable on the public Internet (you see those ranges in your office or home LAN). The next version of the IP protocol is IPv6, which supports 3.4 x 10^38 (340 undecillion) (2^128) unique addresses in total, but only 42 undecillion (2^41) have been made available at the moment by ICANN...that is enough for about 4,096 unique IP's per person in the world, assuming 8 billion souls and /48 allocations by ISPs.

One of my classmates proposed that we use RFID chips embedded in a person to enable subnetting of devices they use; such as computers, tablets, smartphones, game systems, appliances, along with NFC (Near Field Communication) tags that use the RFID tag for systems access, even opening your front door and paying for groceries, etc. - using the RFID tag in the person as the host with the public IPv4 address, and the private IPv4 range for anything that connects through the tag.  All device communications go through the RFID chip embedded in the person to some access point or NAT device.

While in concept the idea seems logical and relevant to the future of interactivity through a relatively cheap tech to work with (averaging between $0.05-$0.17 per RFID tag) that has a broad range of possibilities, I do not think this is a viable alternative to avoid moving to IPv6.  Two primary reasons stick out in my mind as to why: 1) That I know of our can find, RFID technology does not contain the logic processing, nor the physical hardware capacity, to negotiate the infrastructure methods necessary to make this plausible, especially when implanted in a human (biochemical considerations), and 2) a highly sensitive consideration of a person's privacy as these RFID tags can store contact details, bank account information, and, with NFC sensors/readers installed, your activities.  Most would be fine with this level of invasiveness because it would simplify life interactions across personal and professional spaces (and it in all honesty could), a lot more would not because literally everything you do would be tracked and cataloged for whomever is linked to the system to extract and use for whatever they need the data for.

Assuming security is properly implemented, specific privacy issues resolved, and technological evolution to allow RFID tags to work like this - a hypothetical win-win for all sides - it would only delay the inevitable.  We would still run out of IPv4 addresses sooner than later.  Implanting tags in every person adds nearly 8 billion more unique addresses, which is more than the total capacity of IPv4.  Trying to update a system that embedded (surgically inserted into a person) would cost everyone so much money it would defeat its entire purpose.

Because we only have a couple billion IPv4 addresses left available world-wide, the move to IPv6 is already well under way.  While I like certain aspects of RFID use - retail sales tracking like Wal-Mart uses for automated restock orders, or vehicle tracking used by trucking lines and manufacturers, processing payment through the RFID chip in a credit/debit car, etc., making processes more efficient and effective for their respective purposes -  it scares the crap out of me with the direction a lot of authorities want to take the technology.  I won't go into the conspiracy theory side of RFID (that is a lengthy conversation), but the implication that it will one day be used to track us and all our activities (yes, all of them) is real.  Here's the real question - given the expected future of RFID, would you get chipped, even if only for the purpose of instant access to your medical records and payment for goods and services?

~Geek

References
http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/gadgets/high-tech-gadgets/rfid.htm
http://rednectar.net/2012/05/24/just-how-many-ipv6-addresses-are-there-really/
http://spectrum.ieee.org/semiconductors/processors/the-plastic-processor
http://itknowledgeexchange.techtarget.com/whatis/ipv6-addresses-how-many-is-that-in-numbers/

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