Real-time Locating System - Privacy Concerns

Privacy Concerns

RTLS may be seen a threat to privacy when used to determine the location of people. The newly declared human right of informational self-determination de:Informationelle Selbstbestimmung gives the right of prevent one's identity and personal data from disclosure to others, and also covers disclosure of locality as well, though this does not generally apply to the workplace.

Several prominent labor unions have come out against the use of RTLS systems to track workers calling them "the beginning of Big Brother" and "an invasion of privacy". However, this loss of privacy may be outweighed by other benefits to staff. For example, Toronto General Hospital is looking at RTLS to reduce quarantine times after an infectious disease outbreak. After a recent SARS outbreak, 1% of all staff were quarantined, and more accurate data regarding who had been exposed to the virus could have reduced the need for quarantines.