Proposal for UK Prisoners to be Given RFID Implants 188
Raisey-raison writes "There is a proposal in the UK to implant "machine-readable" microchips under the skin of thousands of offenders in an effort to free up more space in British jails. The article states that uses are being considered both for home detention, as a means to enforce punishment, as well as for sex offenders after their release. Many view this as a slippery slope leading to much wider use; starting as a purely voluntary act and gradually becoming more compulsory, it would endanger human rights and privacy. There are also health questions involved, given that long-term studies have linked similar implants to cancer in lab mice and rats. Ironically, the same technology has been proposed for medical purposes as well. In the USA, some state agencies have already made decisions about this issue.
Another reason... (Score:3, Informative)
This country has surveillance and tracking that's gone beyond anything the Nazi SS and the KGB could ever dreamed of having. So much for living in a free democracy.
Re:Its just criminals (Score:3, Informative)
Or they could stop throwing people in jail for victimless crimes, such as drug offenses... for which 16% of prisoners are there for.
http://www.justice.gov.uk/docs/population-in-custody-0407.pdf [justice.gov.uk]
Re:This is /. - how long before chip mods? (Score:3, Informative)
High-energy/high frequency RF is quite dangerous and as you decrease wavelength and increase energy you move through the microwave spectrum and after that the shorter wavelengths include x-rays and, eventually Gamma. That is ionizing radiation and, given the proper exposure, it is lethal. I don't see any way to make microscopic or even 1-2 mm RFID devices that can be driven by non-harmful energy sources.
Re:Make a RFID Chip "broadcaster/jammer" (Score:3, Informative)
FWIW directional antennas (dish, yagi) could direct a RF signal source at distance & coupled with a rifle site it would make all of those people carrying RFID easy targets to pick out of a crowd.
Whose idea was RDID tags in passports, anyway? The Saudi's?