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| SecurityProNews > Articles > Laws, Crime and Policies > Implanted Microchips: Betcha Can’t Use Just One |
[ articles_laws,_crime_and_policies ]Implanted Microchips: Betcha Can’t Use Just One
Alex Bard | Contributing Writer 2006-06-01
Technology is rapidly turning what used to be called "science fiction" in the 1950s and 60s, into prophecy. Many books, television shows (think: "The Twilight Zone" or "Outer Limits") and movies frequently used as a major plot point the fact that all humans would be someday be implanted with microchips. This would give the government the ability to track people wherever they went. This scenario may be here sooner than you think- especially if you're Hispanic or Latino. According to LiveScience, Scott Silverman, Chairman of the Board of VeriChip Corporation, has proposed implanting the company's RFID tracking tags in immigrant and guest workers. He made the statement on national television earlier this week. Silverman was being interviewed on "Fox & Friends." Responding to the Bush administration's call to know "who is in our country and why they are here," he proposed using VeriChip RFID implants to register workers at the border, and then verify their identities in the workplace. He added, "We have talked to many people in Washington about using it...." RFID stands for Radio-Frequency Identification and refers to small electronic devices (about the size of a grain of rice) that consist of a small chip and an antenna. The chip typically is capable of carrying 2,000 bytes of data or less. It can be injected directly into the body and its special coating allows it to bond with living tissue. The RFID reader can then broadcast a signal picked up by the implanted device, which contains an antenna and then sends the data back to the signal's source. Since it's a passive device, it has a practically unlimited life span. The device is analogous to a bar code or a magnetic strip on the back of a credit card or ATM card; it provides a unique identifier for that object (or person). And, just as a bar code or magnetic strip must be scanned to get the information, the RFID device must be scanned to retrieve the identifying information. Radio Freq Tracking Add to | DiggThis | Yahoo My Web They are already being used in pets and livestock to identify the owners of the lost animals that are found. They cannot actually track the animal, yet. A significant advantage of RFID devices over the others mentioned above is that the RFID device does not need to be positioned precisely relative to the scanner. We're all familiar with the difficulty that store checkout clerks sometimes have in making sure that a barcode can be read. And obviously, credit cards and ATM cards must be swiped through a special reader. In contrast, RFID devices will work within a few feet (up to 20 feet for high-frequency devices) of the scanner. For example, you could just put all of your groceries or purchases in a bag, and set the bag on the scanner. It would be able to query all of the RFID devices and total your purchase immediately. RFID technology has been available for more than fifty years. It has only been recently that the ability to manufacture the RFID devices has fallen to the point where they can be used as a "throwaway" inventory or control device. Alien Technologies recently sold 500 million RFID tags to Gillette at a cost of about ten cents per tag. One reason that it has taken so long for RFID to come into common use is the lack of standards in the industry. Most companies invested in RFID technology only use the tags to track items within their control; many of the benefits of RFID come when items are tracked from company to company or from country to country. In a related story, Colombian President Alvaro Uribe allegedly remarked to visiting U.S. senators Jeff Sessions (Alabama) and Arlen Specter (Pennsylvania) that microchips could be used to track seasonal workers. "President Uribe said he would consider having Colombian workers have microchips implanted in their bodies before they are permitted to enter the U.S. for seasonal work," Specter told Congress on April 25. If all of these politicians aren't scared of what this means, it's a sure bet that they intend to make themselves exempt. As for the rest of us, first, it will be the immigrants, and then the criminals, then children and well…roll up your sleeve, please. You might feel a sting. View All Articles by Alex Bard About the Author: Alex Bard is a staff writer for WebProNews covering technology and business. More articles_laws,_crime_and_policies Articles |
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