Source: Hitachi
These RFID tags are the absolute smallest in the world and are nicknamed as ‘powder’ or ‘dust’ because of their incredible miniaturization. Measuring only 0.05 by 0.05 millimeters, it beats the previous record holder, the Hitachi mu-chip which was 0.4 by 0.4 millimeters. It is the mu-chip on the finger in the image. Compare that with the RFID powder compared with a human hair in the image next to it! This incredible RFID Powder consists of a 128-bit ROM that can store a 38-digit number.

With just a 5 micron thickness, these RFID chips can be embedded into anything from bank notes, paper, or any other object where you would most likely never even notice a tracking chip. Most likely of course, those will be in there with the purpose of being virtually undetectable. This gives a whole new meaning to the writings of author Bruce Sterling when he wrote about bugged money in his novel Distraction (1998).

These tiny particle-like RFID chips could easily be used to identify individuals and track there whereabouts. Imagine being a protestor in a group and having RFID powder sprayed or sprinkled on you by law enforcement, security guards, private corporate interests, you name it. At any time after such an encounter you can be tracked and investigated without knowing it, provided high powered RFID readers and scanners are used to perform the tracking.

Another use could be to have this powdery RFID tag sprinkled on areas of high security, like certain corridors in a high security facility. Any non-authorized individuals that have come in contact with the RFID powder would very likely have several on their body, their clothes, their shoes, in their hair, and could be determined as having breached security.

It will be easy to come up with dozens of nefarious uses of this new technology and we will leave it up to you to imagine them. Certainly, the technology is already here to make those uses a possibility.