THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION said it has not plans to regulate RFID chips, the radio-based alternative to barcodes that is growing quickly everywhere but especially here in Europe.

In a press conference at CeBIT in Hanover, Germany yesterday, Commissioner Viviane Reding said it would be dangerous to put too much red tape in the way of the tiny chips that have been mandated for supply-chain partners of retail giants such as Wal-Mart and are popping up in pretty much every other field that needs to track movement of stock.

This being the EC, however, there has to be an element of nanny-knows-best so Reding added that the Commission will create an RFID stakeholder group to advise on security and privacy. RFID has attracted the zeal of many self-appointed guardians of the public interest through the suspicion that the chips could be used to follow the activities of consumers. Presumably these people don’t try to save a penny on baked beans by using loyalty cards.