VeriChip Implants 222 People With RFID

cnet-declan writes "Anyone remember VeriChip, a company that came up with the idea of implanting chips in humans for tracking them? They've been behind ideas like RFID tagging immigrant and guest workers at the border, and they've persuaded a former Bush Health Secretary to get himself chipped. In this CNET News.com article, we offer an update on how successful the idea has been. It turns out that, according to IPO documents, 222 people have been implanted, with sales revenue of $100,000."

I'd do it

[2.7182 (819680)]

but I'd hate to have to eventually pull that glowing red ball through my nose just to get to Mars.

666?

[Cpt_Kirks (37296)]

Hey, if they triple the number of implanted, they will be spot on!

Re:666?

[SNR monkey (1021747)]

Think about this... They implanted 222 people with chips. 222 is three twos, which would could write as 32. Thirty-two, as everyone one knows, is twenty-three backwards. The number 23 is everywhere!

Re:

[Mizled (1000175)]

but I'd hate to have to eventually pull that glowing red ball through my nose just to get to Mars.

No need you can just put a wet towel over your head for now... >.>

Re:I'd do it

[Misch (158807)]

IEEE recently published a series of papers on this subject:

IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON DEVICE AND MATERIALS RELIABILITY, VOL. 5, NO. 3, SEPTEMBER 2005

Paper overview (PDF) [ieee.org]

Re:

[Ucklak (755284)]

Like triple breasted women, a baby that is conjoined with an adult that has wisdom of the ages, an elaborate fat suit with an exploding head, a martian atmosphere that somehow brings sustainable air pressure to a planet within seconds from a frozen water source?

Doesn't really matter, that movie kicked some major ass.
Double crosses, cat fights, a female midget with a machine gun, severed limbs, and using a body as a shield - just brilliant.

Re:Alternative suggestion

[h2g2bob (948006)]

That's immoral and degrading. Now, if they could put it in the form of a suppository...

Fancy that

[Vengeance (46019)]

People aren't lining up around the block to have uniquely identifiable bits of technology inserted into 'em? How come?

Re:

[sokoban (142301)]

I don't know. They've sold 222 so far for about $100,000. That's nearly $500 per person. I guess people who are getting this done are willing to pay out the nose for it.

Re:

[Vengeance (46019)]

Nah, that money mostly went towards the implantation devices.

Re:Fancy that

[badfish99 (826052)]

Those people should have gone to the vets. We got our cat microchipped for less that one tenth of that price.

Re:Fancy that

[kabocox (199019)]

People aren't lining up around the block to have uniquely identifiable bits of technology inserted into 'em? How come?

Cause God beat the government to it. ;) We don't need another unique identifier. We have DNA, fingerprintes, footprints, retina scans, facial thermal imaging scans, picture photos, and voice scans. We've used race, sex, hair color, eye color, height, and wieght when searching for criminals or posting limited ID traits on DLs. Do we really need more? I could see family, friends, schools, religions, employeers, and community clubs (Greenpeace or NRA) wanting to track "their" members, employees, family, or those involved with that religion. I think it's funny. We don't know if God exists so we are going to build a system that can tell where everyone is at any given time because that's one of the things only God was suppposed to be able to do and then worship it. I have no religious reason to object to anyone trying to track or control others that's the fundamental thing that God, governments, and humans generally try to do (control those that don't have the power to stop them.) I'm fairly certain that privacy will become a myth within my lifetime and most people won't even notice its gone.

Re:

[jez9999 (618189)]

We have DNA, fingerprintes, footprints, retina scans, facial thermal imaging scans, picture photos, and voice scans. We've used race, sex, hair color, eye color, height, and wieght when searching for criminals or posting limited ID traits on DLs.

Well, that's one hella unwieldy composite primary key, and still not guaranteed to be 100% unique! Actually, that would apply were it not for DNA, which I think probably is primary key-like in humans.

Re:

[Greyfox (87712)]

Except in Kentucky where, as Carlos Mencia points out, they all have the same DNA.

Re:

[FerretFrottage (714136)]

Can't you just defeat these implants like you can the RFID chips in the US passports...with a hammer? Heck, if they implant them in the thumb, most "weekend carpenters" will disable them without even knowing.

Re:

[SevenHands (984677)]

Kind of off topic, or maybe not. I couldn't help notice that a tracking feature is contained within the last two cell phones I've uesd. A feature called "assisted GPS" seems to mysteriously and unobtrusively be enabled by default from the factory. From what I understand, this location tracking feature is in addition to tracking one's location via cell tower triangulation.

Scary thing about this is that the vast majority of the people I talk to do not even know this feature is available, less enabled by de

Re:

[EdwinBoyd (810701)]

Scarier food for thought is wondering if turning off the "feature" actually makes any difference.

Re:Fancy that

[djdavetrouble (442175)]

No doubt there are mechanisms to remotely enable GPS tracking, but I doubt that there is anything an end user can do to disable it.

May I smarmily suggest a Sledgehammer ?

Re:

[m0rph3us0 (549631)]

Like a VIN number?
C
What is the point of complaining about that once you've blanketed the country in CCCP... er.. CCTV?

I would leave FAST

[VEGETA_GT (255721)]

if they tried to put one of those in me. I am a Canadian, and am working under contract in the US. but lets say they make it so all workers like me in a few years are required to have these flags, I can tell you now I would be going back to Canada fast. to me its a complete violation of my rights, and I well not stand for it and no one else should. Where I am is my business, and no one else's.

Re:I would leave FAST

[Lord Ender (156273)]

Can someone please explain to me how this is a violation of privacy? I'm seriously curious.

The medical benefits of EMTs being able to instantly know a person's blood type, allergies, and medical history are obvious.

What isn't obvious is why people think short-range RFID is the same as battery-powered wild animal tracking collars. Are they just stupid? Look at the way RFID works. A person CAN NOT use it to track someone as they walk around a city. A device capable of generating the power to operate these over more than a very short distance would be very obvious to spot and would probably break every PDA and wrist-watch in the area. Also, it would be IMPOSSIBLE to survey a large number of RFID devices at the same time because of the way collisions are handled.

If you are afraid of this yet you carry a cellphone, you are a hypocrite. For practical purposes, small* RFID tags are a slightly-longer-range barcode.

*I realize that large tags can be read from greater distances. But that's not what we are talking about here.

Re:

[fishbowl (7759)]

>The medical benefits of EMTs being able to instantly know a person's blood type, allergies, and medical history are obvious.

Can a person with an RFID implant get an MRI?

Re:I would leave FAST

[evilviper (135110)]

The medical benefits of EMTs being able to instantly know a person's blood type, allergies, and medical history are obvious.

Then get a medical bracelet with a barcode. They can read it just as easily, but you'd KNOW if someone was reading it. RFID circumvents physical security constraints.

A person CAN NOT use it to track someone as they walk around a city.

A person can't. A large company or government could. Quite easily, in fact.

A device capable of generating the power to operate these over more than a very short distance would be very obvious to spot

You can "spot" anything. That doesn't mean you have any way of knowing that street light you're walking by actually has a built-in RFID reader.

If you are afraid of this yet you carry a cellphone, you are a hypocrite.

I could almost agree with that (I don't have a cell phone), except for the fact that cell phones can be disabled at will, left at home, given to someone else, etc. Cell phones are a big privacy issue, but implanted RFID takes it to a whole new level.

Re:

[barik (160226)]

I'd to love to use this if I were a human resources or hiring manager. Hey, we can't ask directly whether or not the potential candidate has a medical condition, but thanks to this chip, we can silenty dismiss these canditates cheaply and effectively without any legal ramifications. Just stick the RFID scanning device under the table during the interview and you're good to go! Thank you government!

Re:I would leave FAST

[SocratesJedi (986460)]

Where I am is my business, and no one else's.

Not if you are a guest in a foreign country.

The interest a government has in preventing an attack does not imply that it would be right for that government to track all foreign nationals within its borders. At least, I would not support government policy that wanted this level of surveillance on foreigners. Even if you've bought into this nationalist mentality that foreigners are inherently more dangerous than domestic citizens consider: Once that infrastructure to track large numbers of foreigners is in place it would not be difficult to expand it to include tracking of citizens. I'm not willing to support any policy that will bring the government under which I live any closer to that type of police state. Are you?

Re:I would leave FAST

[geekoid (135745)]

When you consider the the rights gaurenteed through the constitution applies to all people, not just citizens. On might say they are inaliable to all men.

Re:I would leave FAST

[alienmole (15522)]

Your ability to think rationally has been seriously degraded by fear and/or propaganda. Implating chips in all foreign nationals is very much like outlawing guns: only the criminal foreign nationals would have no chips (they'd remove them if necessary), and the monitoring effort would be focused on exactly the wrong group, the law-abiding foreign nationals. You'd have to implant chips in all citizens for it to be meaningful, but then you'd have to do something about the 11 million illegal aliens who wouldn't have chips, most of whom aren't terrorists and are instead looking after your babies, washing your clothes, picking your fruit, and writing your software.

But it is interesting to watch fascism bubbling from the grassroots up, apparently with an utter lack of self-awareness. Look in the mirror: you are responsible for the world around you. If you want it to ever change, learn to think past the jerking of your knee.

Re:I would leave FAST

[tomstdenis (446163)]

See what I hate is that's not actually true. As a visitor to the USA I have the same rights as any citizen, more specifically, I am entitled to the protection of the constitution of america and it's amendments.

Note that voting [and some similar stuff] is a right only of citizens (as prescribed by law). So the law still applies to me, and bars me from voting because I'm not a citizen [etc].

So if I entered the USA and then they decided to chip me they would be violating my constitutional rights to, among other things, the 4th amendment.

The minute they toy with their own rules against foreigners they can expect retaliations around the world. Which is why, aside from the ban on habeas corpus, they don't really infringe the rights of legitimate visitors.

That being said, I've never been questioned by the police in the USA. The only time I've had to talk to any law related folk outside of the border was a border patrol in upper state new york (re: budget exercise).

Tom

Re:

[tomstdenis (446163)]

Follow up for the curious, See equal protection under the law [wikisource.org] which specifically grants the rights of the constituion to any person within the jurisdiction of the states.

So, no, the USA governement does not have the right to violate the rights of tourists.

Tom

Re:I would leave FAST

[MillionthMonkey (240664)]

I can tell you now I would be going back to Canada fast

And doing what? Sitting around wishing you had a job at American pay rates?

Getting health care and affordable prescriptions while you sit around with a chip in your head made by the guy who has your job in China.

So, not yet mainstream

[Hrodvitnir (101283)]

However, sales will skyrocket as soon as the RFID chip is required to vote on American Idol.

I'm sure it'll get more traction...

[$RANDOMLUSER (804576)]

When it becomes part of the hardware required to run Vista. That way, a generation of PCs later, everyone will need an implanted RFID chip.

Forehead or Back of the hand?

[coren2000 (788204)]

Where do they put said chip? The forehead or the back of the hand?

Re:Forehead or Back of the hand?

[Vengeance (46019)]

I'll tell 'em where they can stick it.

People please...

[JustNiz (692889)]

We need to stand united against this. No matter what, don't allow yourself to be implanted.

I'm really scared about this. The most scary part is that 222 people actually paid to have this done to themselves. What were they thinking? Can they really be that stupid?

Re:People please...

[happyemoticon (543015)]

While I appreciate your plea for the safety of children and appeal to the terrorism boogeyman, both of which are highly effective ways to turn a discussion into an argument and villify your opponent, the type of RFID chip used by this company (almost certainly a one meter-range passive one, as opposed to a battery-powered active chip) would not have been helpful in saving people from terrorists or child molesters. When people talk about being "tracked" by RFID tags, they don't mean that Jack Bauer will have some unobtanium-powered device with which he pinpoints your exact location, but rather that, in a hypothetical world where you need RFID tags to make purchases and enter establishments, the FBI will be able to say, "Oh look, he went to Macy's at 12:00." That is, unless terrorists are stupid enough to take their victims to McDonald's (some child abductors probably ARE stupid enough, now that I think about it).

Excellent!

[by Anonymous Coward]

Excellent, We've hit 1/3 of our goal!

Congratulations Mr Bin Laden

[Timesprout (579035)]

Osama Bin Laden
Secret Mountain Stronghold
Durkadurkastan


You are a winner!

Congratulations Mr Bin Laden your name was selected from millions of entrants. However our couriers are having some difficulty in locating you so we are providing you with a bright new shiny RFID tag and tag injection device. Simply swab a spot on your arm (we dont want you getting an infection now do we), press the injection device against your arm and pull the trigger. Yes, its that simple! Shortly thereafter the light and sound extravaganza we have prepared for you will begin when the courier drops in your thermonuclear prize!


Yours etc.
G. W. Bush

Solution

[DoofusOfDeath (636671)]

I read somewhere that if you want to defeat this scheme, you just need to microwave the person for like, 2 minutes tops.

Re:

[AmberBlackCat (829689)]

The part they left out is you have to make sure the person is wet before heating, or you might damage your microwave.

What the hell

[el_womble (779715)]

What the hell is wrong with some people? Who, outside of crazy, Nazi scientists and ralieans thinks its a good idea to voluntarily put a chip in a persons body for no good reason. The few people who this might help, the few who are randomly incapacitated by illness have several, better alternatives: bracelets, id cards and if you want to get medievil tattooing themselves. A better alternative would be to place the chip in body jewelery. At least then, you can remove it.

Why would you do this to yourself, and perhaps more importantly why would you invest millions in R&D? The only way this system would work on a national level was if it was mandated by government. If that happens its time to start the revolution and get in line at the gun shop not the chip shop.

Re:

[sqrt(2) (786011)]

These chips are one of those technologies that would serve an amazing purpose to better humanity as as whole if it were not for the inherent flaw that they would used by a species that is inherently flawed. Imagine being able to tell instantly what medication a patient is on, their complete medical history, drug allergies, and conditions. That information could save lives. Or imagine never seeing another story of a missing/abducted child in the news. Less important things to, you could pay for goods simply

Same, but different

[navygeek (1044768)]

I can replace those RFID's for the fraction of the cost - with the same basic outcome.

Ladies (yeah, there are so many here) and gentlegeeks, I give you....

The dog collar and leash!

Already made fashionable by Goths and kinksters the world over - these handsome and/or lovely accessories come in a variety of shapes and colors to fit every occasion. Great for keeping track of guest workers, immigrants, and wandering children.

Upgrades

[boyfaceddog (788041)]

What happens when Microsoft gets into the RFID reading business? The standards in place today will be meaningless. The people with the "fist generation" RFID chips will have to have those removed and upgraded. I can see people with two, three or even four different RFID chips in their arms, legs, foreheads just to make sure all of their info is readable by whoever wants it.

Have we learned nothing from 20 years of consumer electronic devices?

"Beep-Beep"? It must be Earth humor!

[HTH NE1 (675604)]

"During the war, I was in my world's warrior class. We saved each other's lives a dozen times over."

"Commendable! But what does that have to do with..."

"With nanotechnology? Glad you asked! You've heard of it, haven't you? Machines too small for the human eye to see? You can even shield them, make them invisible to electronic detection. Like the one you just swallowed in that drink. I imagine it's firmly latched on to your intestinal tract by now."

"What??!"

"Oh, it's nothing harmful, Ambassador! It's a location transmitter."

[He points a pen-like device at him and presses a button. A light flashes and it emits a "beep-beep".]

"See? It should dissolve in about... five years. But until then, Ambassador, my friends in my warrior caste have this frequency. And if anything should happen to [this place], they have instructions to track down that transmitter and... well, why spoil the surprise?"

"This is an outrage!"

"This is insurance. What you do here is your own business. You can scheme, and plan, and play all the games you want, but get this straight. If you ever endanger this [place] again, my people will find you. And the results will be most unpleasant."

"I'd say he took that pretty well. Think they'll ever find that transmitter you slipped [him]?"

"No... because there isn't one."

"There isn't? Wait --"

"I lied. I figured if there were a transmitter, sooner or later they'd find it and remove it. But if I just told them there was, they'd keep looking! Indefinitely!"

"Commander, do you have any idea of the tests they'll put him through, the things they'll do to him trying to find a transmitter that's not there?"

"Yes."

Why this can be a good thing

[DoubleEdd (178052)]

People have asked why it's not better to just have a bracelet, ID in your wallet, or whatever. Here's why I'd like one so that a paramedic or whoever can get the info they need about me.

Two reasons:
1) I cannot leave home without it. I can't go anywhere without it, and as importantly, I can go anywhere with it. I can go to the pool and if I have some medical emergency it won't matter that my wallet is in the locker or whatever. If you're a parent, your kid can't choose to leave it behind (and if you're wondering why they might want to leave their ID behind see point 2)
2) It actually preserves your privacy. Sure, someone with an RFID scanner might spot get some serial ID number, but without access to a corresponding database they don't get my medical info. There are tracking issues, but they're minor. On the other hand, anyone who sees I've got some bracelet on immediately knows I have some medical condition, and they don't need to be scanning for RFID to tell that.

The sooner some of us have the option to get these the better.

Doubleplusgood!

[filesiteguy (695431)]

I think this is a grand idea. However, instead of using it for guest workers, we make it tied to the activation of iPods. Then everyone will get 'em!

MRI, thieves with boltcutters, and worse...

[Miamicanes (730264)]

A few problems with implanted IDs:

* They have to be removed prior to a MRI. Otherwise, some Very Bad Things(tm) will happen to both the implant and the tissue surrounding it.

* If they're implanted into an extremity (like a finger) to minimize MRI problems, you create problem #2: thieves using gruesomely low-tech means to obtain those implants and use them before you can have them deactivated. Think: mugger with bolt cutters and gun who wants your index finger RIGHT NOW.

* Current ID-broadcasting implants could EASILY be spoofed by organized crime with minimal resources in the near future (if not today). So within a few years (I'd say 5, 10 max) current chips will become totally useless for cash-free transactions (subway fares, vending machines, etc). And if they implement two-factor authentication (like implant + PIN), you've just negated most of the convenience the implant is supposed to provide. Challenge-response is a possibility, but that throws a monkey wrench into the whole idea of an open standard anyone can use because THEN you need to involve a third-party both you and the seller trust to perform the authentication... and collect a few cents from you while they're at it.

Here's a better idea: get 3M to spin off a line of NexCare bandages with embedded RFID chips. Or embed it in your wedding ring or watch. Or superglue it to a toenail (or fingernail, if you want to make a geeky fashion statement).

The point is, having something embedded that's almost guaranteed to be technologically obsolete within a decade anyway -- and can cause random grief with things like MRIs in the meantime -- is just silly. You can achieve 99% of the convenience with bandages, superglue, or clothing accessories.

Re:

[jonnythan (79727)]

Bringing the total number of people with the implant to 888?

Perhaps I don't get the joke :>

Re:Jurassic Park

[AutopsyReport (856852)]

Wasn't something like this done in Jurassic Park? It was proven ineffective as all of the tagged and monitored dinosaurs were accounted for.

Well I know that America has an obesity problem, but comparing yourselves to dinosaurs...