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FDA Approves Implantable RFID for Patients

Posted by samzenpus on Wed Oct 13, 2004 07:32 PM
from the track-your-friends dept.
Privacy Technology
anzha writes "It seems that the FDA has approved an RFID tag for use in patients. The idea being that the rice grain sized chip would be implanted and scanned for patient history and updates. It seems that a similar chip was used by the Mexican government for employees that work with sensitive documents. IDK about you, but this seems a to me little...creepy."
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  • Defibrilator (Score:4, Interesting)

    by cartzworth (709639) on Wednesday October 13 2004, @07:34PM (#10519334) Journal
    My grandfathers defib has information stored on it, although I'm not sure its it's RFID.

  • Cashless society.. coming right up. (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday October 13 2004, @07:35PM (#10519340)
    Rev 13:16 He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, 17and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or[6] the name of the beast, or the number of his name. 18Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is 666.

    Repent, the end is near.

    • Re:Cashless society.. coming right up. (Score:4, Funny)

      by Rand Huck (821621) on Wednesday October 13 2004, @07:42PM (#10519400) Homepage
      So, if any of you folks have a barcode with "666" in it, lock yourself in a room and don't make eye contact with ANYBODY for 1000 years.
      • So, if any of you folks have a barcode with "666" in it, lock yourself in a room and don't make eye contact with ANYBODY for 1000 years.

        Luxky me... My number is 668.

        Thank god for permanent markers.

        • Re:Cashless society.. coming right up. (Score:4, Informative)

          by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday October 13 2004, @09:35PM (#10520086)
          No, it's not. The number 6 is
          Line, space, line, space, space, space, space

          The 'guide bars' are

          Line, space, line.

          Check out
          http://www.av1611.org/666/barcode.html

          Which says:
          Is the number 666 "hidden" in the UPC barcode?

          One of the most popular and shocking accusations concerning the number "666" is that the number "666" is quietly "hidden" in every UPC barcode. ...
          Is the number 666 TRUTHFULLY "hidden" in the UPC barcode?

          Technically, no it is not.

          Here's the "technical" truth. . .

          The number 6 and the three guard bars are NOT the same. They do "appear" to be identical, but they are different.

          [snip the graphic]

          Notice. The beginning and ending guard bars are "bar-space-bar" or "101" (the B in the above table). The middle guard bar is "space-bar-space-bar-space" or "01010" (the M in the above table). The number six is "1010000" (the 6 in the above table). Remember, technically a barcode number consists of seven units. The beginning and ending guard bars are only three units, and middle guard bar is only five units.

          So, technically, from a computer's perspective the number "666" is NOT in the UPC barcode.

    • Re:Cashless society.. coming right up. (Score:5, Informative)

      by magarity (164372) on Wednesday October 13 2004, @07:50PM (#10519459)
      He causes all ... to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads

      RTFA:
      A tiny computer chip approved Wednesday for implantation in a patient's arm

      :/
      • No, of course it won't. If I were an evil overlord, here's how I would introduce it...

        1) Offer it voluntarily for those that believe it will improve one service or another.
        2) Only prisoners convicted of felonies.
        3) Drunken drivers who have restricted driving privileges.
        4) Schoolchildren, after some kidnapping scare.
        5) Babies, after a hospital nursery mixup.
        6) Ex-cons on parole, people on probation.
        7) Military personel (Will help if your body is burned beyond recognition).
        8) People who need to enter restricted buildings. (FBI, CIA agents, congressional staffers, whitehouse personel)

        At about this point, I'd start offering expedited rows at the checkout counter, bus terminals, airports, etc. Treat those without the chips as "well, you're completely free to choose, after all it's a free country" and the same way you do people who guard their SSN. Make *them* feel like they're crazy, instead of the system being so.

        9) State government personel. State vehicle's ignitions will no longer work without them...

        Of course, I may not have the order perfect here, and certainly big business will do its part to help. "I'm sorry sir, but this ATM only works if you have a chipID, so that we can be sure your card wasn't stolen!".

        There are some things that are practically inevitable should the become possible. It is now possible, and past one of the few regulatory hurdles that might have obstructed it. Have fun being tagged like livestock, all you sheeple.

        • Re:Cashless society.. coming right up. (Score:4, Insightful)

          by voisine (153062) on Wednesday October 13 2004, @10:55PM (#10520582)
          Cash will always be around if there is a demand for it. Imagine a culture of Christians unwilling to get the mark. Initially they can trade amongst each other. The most marketable good will become the defacto currency like Vodka in that later days of the soviet union, or american cigarettes in immediate post-war Berlin. There of course will be plenty of marked people who will take a risk and illegally resell their goods with a markup into the non-marked underground economy. As long as the Christians continue to produce things of value to others, they'll be able to survive.

  • Implant? (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Databass (254179) on Wednesday October 13 2004, @07:35PM (#10519346)

    Can't I just keep it in my wallet or embedded in my shoes or on my car keys or something?

  • Help! (Score:5, Funny)

    by Erwos (553607) on Wednesday October 13 2004, @07:37PM (#10519360)
    Could someone help me out? I don't know what IDK means.

    -Erwos

  • It should seem creepy (Score:3, Funny)

    by CrazyJim0 (324487) on Wednesday October 13 2004, @07:38PM (#10519365)
    Biblically speaking, one could draw all types of claims of it being evil. I'm not making these claims, just saying they've been voiced before.

    I will claim to have been spoken to by God though:

    www.geocities.com/James_Sager_PA/love3.html
    • Then use that to our advantage. At least here in the US fundies have an extraordinary, and indeed terrifying amount of power at the moment. Get them to believe that this is "the mark of the devil" (or whatever the shit they call it) and I guarantee it'll be dead.

  • Patents and security? (Score:5, Interesting)

    by darnok (650458) on Wednesday October 13 2004, @07:38PM (#10519368)
    ...So I go to hospital, and one of these RFID tags is implanted within me.

    Next time I visit doctor/hospital, what restrictions are there on info from "my" tag being read? Two possible options I can see:
    - everyone can read my info, and now I have to worry about my health info being scanned by everyone with any remote interest in it. Get on a plane - *SCAN*; "Sorry sir, we believe your heart may give out on this flight and we don't want any lawsuits". Go to a job interview - *SCAN*; "Sorry but we won't employ someone with your health problems"
    - nobody can read my info except for readers authorised by the single company controlling the implants. Hmm, now I wonder how they could conceivably abuse that information...

    Thanks, but no thanks - I'll take my chances with anonymity. The possibilities of abuse of this technology are just too high

    • Re:Patents and security? (Score:5, Informative)

      by erick99 (743982) <homerun@gmail.com> on Wednesday October 13 2004, @07:44PM (#10519417) Homepage
      The implant only has a key that can unlock your records within the doctor's office database or the hospital. The RFID tag itself does not contain any medical records. The tag also acts as the equivalent of a UPC code. This might reduce or eliminate the kind of errors where you are thought to be patient B who is getting a leg amputated where you are really patient Z getting your tonsils out. So, there are some fantastically good things that this technology achieves. The privacy concerns are valid but this kind of technology is going to come into use sooner or later so we might as well prepare for it in such a way that privacy issues are addressed up front and appropriately.

      • Re:Patents and security? (Score:5, Insightful)

        by MourningBlade (182180) on Wednesday October 13 2004, @08:55PM (#10519847) Homepage

        What's wrong with one of those temporary tattoos? We've got some fabulous technology with those (take a look at the female olympic vollyball teams...two or three, if you need them), what's keeping us from printing a 1-week barcode on your shoulder, or other good location (ankle, etc).

        Would seem to be a better idea than an implant.

        • Re:Patents and security? (Score:4, Insightful)

          by liquidpele (663430) on Wednesday October 13 2004, @08:25PM (#10519686) Homepage Journal
          I'd be a lot more concerned that I was in a hospital full of idiots that might amputate my fucking leg! I'd see this as more of a alergy lookup kind of thing, especially for people severly alergic, diabetic, epilepsy, etc that frequent the hospital regularly. Then when they come in they can have the crucial data faster without finding out the person's name, ss#, etc first: just scan their arm! (note this would only be an option if they didn't want to have a metal bracelet thingy).
    • Get on a plane - *SCAN*; "Sorry sir, we believe your heart may give out on this flight and we don't want any lawsuits"

      While you may not want it, there is always the possibilty that eventually it will be required, so instead of *SCAN*; "Sorry sir, we believe your heart may give out on this flight and we don't want any lawsuits", instead you will get *SCAN*; "Sorry sir, but this airline requires we have access to your VeriChip in the event of a medical emergency"

  • Had to be said (Score:5, Funny)

    by Fyre2012 (762907) on Wednesday October 13 2004, @07:40PM (#10519386) Homepage Journal

    I for one welcome our new rice grain sized overlords

    Just think of all the other wonderful uses once the technology becomes more widely accepted...

    No more lines at the airport for people with the chip!
    metal detectors augmented with RFID scanning / live reporting / updating tools...

    "I'm sorry, sir... you are not allowed on the plane. It says here you use something called Linux, and apparently that's only used for pirating copies of window$, making you a terrorist. This transaction has also just been added to your RFID file. Have a nice day"

  • Useful for payments too (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Frank T. Lofaro Jr. (142215) on Wednesday October 13 2004, @07:45PM (#10519422) Homepage
    How about an RFID that can be used as a credit card?

    It would be so much more convenient than having to carry a credit card, worry about dropping it, or not having it (e.g. you are ordering drinks poolside). One wouldn't need cash either.

    Implantation in the hand would be more convenient, one could just wave it over a scanner at a supermarket.

    More details available here [religion-cults.com].

  • What's the point? (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Dan East (318230) on Wednesday October 13 2004, @07:45PM (#10519428) Homepage
    There is no central healthcare database. Having worked for the largest chain of hospitals in the world (was Columbia, now called HCA), I know firsthand that medical data is not shared between an entire chain of hospitals, let alone hospitals outside of their influence.

    So what's the point in having an ID number imbedded in the patient via RFID, or having it tattooed on their forehead, etc, if it does not mean anything outside of a specific hospital or market? How is this better than a patient carrying a Social Security card? The only thing that comes to mind is to help track drug seekers that go from ER to ER. However these aren't exactly the type of people that would volunteer to be tagged like a wild animal.

    Dan East

  • Not the FDA's job to ban this or stop abuse (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Frank T. Lofaro Jr. (142215) on Wednesday October 13 2004, @07:50PM (#10519462) Homepage
    For those that think this is a bad thing, don't blame the FDA. The FDA's only job should be to ensure medical safety, that unsafe products don't harm people, not to prevent the abusive use of a product which is not intriniscally bad. It is the use of the product which can be bad. Isn't that the argument you use in stating P2P software should stay legal?

    Saying the FDA should ban this technology because it can be abused is like saying they should ban cough syrup because of DXM abuse or that the MPAA should ban Linux DVD software because it can be used by movie pirates, or that the RIAA should be able to ban P2P software because someone could use it to distribute a billion copies of the latest Britney Spears album.

  • Whatever is Created (Score:4, Interesting)

    by swat_r2 (586705) on Wednesday October 13 2004, @07:53PM (#10519489)
    Whatever is created can also be hacked. That's both scary and liberating at the same time. I'm used to incompetence on a daily basis from every person I deal with, from the grocer, to my friendly neighborhood hospital. We're human, and I make mistakes as much as the nex guy. Technology isn't going to solve these problems, but I can see the mistakes being more severe. We're on our way to being slaves to data.. I wonder how close we are to the 20,000 year cycle, and if our number close to being up. Take that as you will ;)
  • Have an elderly person around the house? Can't afford to put them in a home? Don't have any relatives who will take him in?

    Then get...The invisible leash!

    Using the RFID tag in the subject, it locates him or her as he/she makes an escape for freedom, then applies a mild, 30,000 volt shock to gently remind them that you care.

    Warning This device may be affected and triggered by many garage door openers, WIFI hot spots, and thunderstorms. Not recomended for those wearing underwire bras, or pacemakers.

    I don't exactly remember it, but its close enough. Borrowed from the Bob and Tom radio show

  • Oh yeah (Score:3, Insightful)

    by lifebouy (115193) on Wednesday October 13 2004, @07:56PM (#10519503) Journal
    That would work right up to the MRI. Then it would be slag.
    Well, much as this hackles my tin foil hat side, I'll simply say I will be making a microwave gun to cook that sucker if I can't dig it out with an Xacto blade. Heebie Jeebies. 1984 is now.

  • Republicans will shoot down "mark of the beast" (Score:3, Funny)

    by MMHere (145618) on Wednesday October 13 2004, @07:58PM (#10519524)
    According to the theology of some fundamentalist (and often Republican) Christians, this essentially constitutes the "mark of the Beast."

    They consider this to be "evil."

    Won't they try to combat it?

  • What a day on Slashdot! (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday October 13 2004, @08:24PM (#10519684)
    We have implantable ID chips, a fleet of automated surveillance airships and then a bill to let our government run through any database it wants to without any warrant to hunt for "terrorists". Wow, I have a great idea, let's link all of these things together! We'll have implanted chips, surveillance airships will use them to track us, and then they will use every database in the country to store and correlate all those data! Then there's no way the terrorists can win and we'll be able to preserve our freedom! Oh wait...

    The debate is going on now and both sides keep talking about all the things we are doing to strengthen homeland security. When will it be time to start questioning whether this makes us more secure? Perhaps doing all this might make us less secure at some point? It's not like 20th century governments have some impeccable record of not abusing their power [a-human-right.com] over their citizens...

    Posted anonymously, the chilling effect in action.

  • Two thousand year old prior art (Score:5, Interesting)

    by vegetablespork (575101) <vegetablespork@gmail.com> on Wednesday October 13 2004, @09:17PM (#10519984) Homepage
    And he causeth all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free and the bond, that there be given them a mark on their right hand, or upon their forehead; And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
    - Revelation 13:16-17

  • SSN, Drivers License, CC #, and Now a chip (Score:5, Insightful)

    by WindBourne (631190) on Wednesday October 13 2004, @09:38PM (#10520112) Journal

    When SSNs first came out, everybody warned about the possibility of abuse for its use as a national number similar to how the nazi's and USSR did

    About 20 years ago, it was a huge no-no to use SSNs for doing software, but we did it anyways (actually, I was allowed as I was doing Medical Software in 1985). Then the justice dept cracked down on its use. So everybody switched to Drivers License, but that was considered too much of a national ID.

    Now, in the last 3 years, we are required to give SSN's and Drivers Licenses everywhere (bank, jobs, etc). CC companies are now required to give instance access to DOJ whenever they want it. The DOJ has instance access to all tollroads DBs of which cars with tollpass RFIDs are tracking.

    The patriot act II (basically passed by both houses and the admin on the day that Sadaam's capture was announced) assures the above and more. (interesting that is was more to DOJ rather than NSA/CIA/NGSA).

    And now, the feds want to implant chips in us the same way that I do for my dogs????? Hummmm, Yeah, right.

    • Re:SSN, Drivers License, CC #, and Now a chip (Score:5, Insightful)

      by BCW2 (168187) on Wednesday October 13 2004, @11:02PM (#10520633) Journal
      My original SSN card says (in small print) "Not To Be Used For Idnetification". It was issued about 1970. If you look at my USN dogtag, issued in Feb 1976, guess what they used for my serial number? The government can't even follow their own rules, how can we be expected to?

    • Re:SSN, Drivers License, CC #, and Now a chip (Score:4, Interesting)

      by sw155kn1f3 (600118) on Thursday October 14 2004, @12:09AM (#10520972)
      > When SSNs first came out, everybody warned about the possibility of abuse for its use as a national number similar to how the nazi's and USSR did

      I don't know about nazis, but USSR didn't have any ID number. They have a passport with issued # on it. (quite standard thing for any ID I believe). It wasn't used for anything important anyway.
      In modern Russia they still have these passport #'s... Not used for anything important too. There was an attempt to give every citizen Tax #, but it's not mandatory. I didn't ever encountered a situation where you need one. So stop making things up please.

  • Welll, whoopdeedoo... (Score:4, Informative)

    by Mac Degger (576336) on Wednesday October 13 2004, @09:39PM (#10520120) Journal
    Quite a number of bars in Europe already do this as a so-called 'VIP-treatment'; get an RFID implanted to pay for your drinks/entry (as in you get debited later on your bank account).

    • Re:Good idea for borders (Score:5, Funny)

      by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday October 13 2004, @07:35PM (#10519342)
      I do hope that safeguards are put in place to avoid abuse

      You must be new here....

    • Re:Good idea for borders (Score:5, Insightful)

      by Izago909 (637084) * <tauisgodNO@SPAMgmail.com> on Wednesday October 13 2004, @07:38PM (#10519363)
      This would be a great idea for our beleagured borders where there are not enough police.
      Are you suggesting that all non-Americans be tagged and our thousands of miles of coast line be dotted every few hundred feet with RFID scanners?

      I do hope that safeguards are put in place to avoid abuse.
      Yes, because if there is one thing the government is good at, it would be respecting peoples privacy and safeguarding personal information.
      • our thousands of miles of coast line be dotted every few hundred feet

        RFID only transmits a few feet, not a few hundred feet.

        Look on the bright side; we'd be able to keep out the Mexican government workers who have security clearances.

    • Re:Your Rights Online? (Score:5, Insightful)

      by nz_mincemeat (192600) on Wednesday October 13 2004, @07:39PM (#10519378) Homepage
      The fundamental potential for abuse is that since some institution now has a unique ID linked to you, somebody with access to the back-end databases will be able to know as much as the databases recorded.

      Since the article doesn't say anything about expiry of said RFID tag, all hospitals and other institutions that want to use this technology will need to share your unique ID number amongst everybody, creating a meta-network of information all tracable to YOU.

    • Re:Your Rights Online? (Score:4, Funny)

      by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday October 13 2004, @07:47PM (#10519445)
      Because it's RFID, man! Don't you understand, man, RFID = EVIL!!! If RFID is allowed, the government will track everyone by satellite and send black helicopters to take you off to a concentration camp and anal probe you all because you attended that anti-Bush rally. Then they'll sell your medical information to the national enquirer and all of your friends and neighbors will find out about your hemmoroid problems. Just remember man, RFID = EVIL!!!
    • Problem is that part of the ideals that this country was founded on included the idea that the government was required to leave you alone unless they suspected you of doing something illegal. Giving the government, or any private organization the ability to monitor you (whether at a hospital or not -- for any reason, any place) with a technology that has an immense potential for misuse is quite a scary idea.

      That's why the "If you've nothing to hide, you don't need to worry" line doesn't fly with me -- mayb

      • Re:More hysteria (Score:5, Interesting)

        by dgatwood (11270) on Wednesday October 13 2004, @07:51PM (#10519472) Journal
        I think you're making too much of it in this particular situation. This is just like a hospital bracelet, only probably less uncomfortable, and less likely to get lost/damaged/chewed off by someone with dementia. I wouldn't expect anything like this for somebody who was just in for the day. This is the kind of thing that would mainly be needed for "lifers", or at least for people who need long-term rehabilitation. Just think of it as a more effective "Medic Alert".

      • Yes. And good for him. This kind of technology can prevent people from getting wrong treatments in the hospital because they will not be mis-identified. It may also keep babies from being switched after birth. There are many good uses besides those two. We just need to address privacy issues up front. This is no different, to me, than the availability of printed records that people can access now. These RFID tags only identify you, they do not contain medical records.
        • This kind of technology can prevent people from getting wrong treatments in the hospital

          So will the prospect of a good lawsuit and losing one's license.

          It may also keep babies from being switched after birth.

          So... taking their footprints at birth... what's that about then?

          Again it comes down to responsibility and the threat of a good lawsuit. Adding tracking devices to us all like so many wild animals because some people are negligent is not a reasonable argument.

    • RTFA!!! (Score:4, Insightful)

      by unicorn (8060) on Wednesday October 13 2004, @08:09PM (#10519596)
      Read the linked article.

      It's a unique ID tag. That's ALL.

      The chip won't have ANY data other than "who" you are. And to get any additional data you have to link into the hospital records.

      And the police don't have a chance of getting in to those records thanks to privacy laws on medical records.

      STOP THE FEARMONGERING.

      It's a paper bracelet with your name on it. That's all. You just won't lose this one.

    • Re:Wallets and purses get lost in accidents (Score:5, Informative)

      by EngMedic (604629) on Wednesday October 13 2004, @08:50PM (#10519821) Homepage
      Speaking from experience, about the last thing i would care about on scene at a wreck bad enough to eject stuff from the vehicle is whether you're allergic to pennicillin or not. What i care about is making sure your neck doesn't move, you can actually breathe, and that you're not bleeding to death or going into shock. We can find out pertinent medical data later, once you're stable.

      In the field, about the only thing we can do to you, as an EMT, anyway -- medics can push some drugs, but not ones that would cause an allergic reaction, especially on a MVA -- we'd probably just push saline to get some fluids back into you; but about the only thing an EMT can do to trigger an allergic reaction is use latex gloves. that's it. nobody's allergic to O2 or a leg splint or a cerebral-spine stabilization device.

      And it's not like i want to be standing in the middle of the road with a reciever, poking at you and trying to recieve... what, your own personal bar code so i can radio that to the hospital? that's going to take far longer than is safe, for you bleeding to death on the pavement, and for me about to get hit by a damn rubbernecker.

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