Monday, Aug. 21, 2006 11:21 p.m. EDT
Implanted Chips in Our Troops?
A Florida company wants to get under the skin of 1.4 million U.S.
servicemen and women.
VeriChip Corp, based in Delray Beach, Fla., and described by the
D.C. Examiner as "one of the most aggressive marketers of radio
frequency identification chips," is hoping to convince the Pentagon
to allow them to insert the chips, known as RFID (Radio Frequency
Identification) chips under the skin of the right arms of U.S.
servicemen and servicewomen to enable them to scan an arm and
obtain that persons identity and medical history. The chips would
replace the legendary metal dog tags that have been worn by U.S.
military personnel since 1906.
The device is usually implanted above the triceps area of an
individuals right arm, but can also by implanted in the hand if
scanned at the proper frequency. The VeriChip responds with a
unique 16-digit number, which can correlate the user to information
stored on a database for identity verification, medical records
access, and other uses. The insertion procedure is performed under
local anesthetic, and once inserted it is invisible to the naked
eye.
The company, which the Examiner notes has powerful political
connections, is "in discussions with the Pentagon, VeriChip
spokeswoman Nicole Philbin told the Examiner. "The potential for
this technology doesnt just stop at the civilian level, Philbin
said. Company officials have touted the chips as versatile, able to
be used in a variety of situations such as helping track illegal
immigrants or giving doctors immediate access to patients medical
records.
On Monday the Department of State started to issue electronic
passports (e-passports) equipped with RFID chips. According to
reports the U.S. government has placed an order with a California
company, Infineon Technologies North America, for smart
chip-embedded passports.
The Associated Press said the new U.S. passports include an
electronic chip that contains all the data contained in the paper
version name, birth date, gender, for example and can be read by
digital scanners at equipped airports. They cost 14 percent more
than their predecessors but the State Department said they will
speed up going through Customs and help enhance border
security.
The company's hefty political clout is typified by having former
secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, Tommy
Thompson, on its board of directors.
Thompson assured the Examiner that the chip is safe and that no one
not even military personnel, who are required by law to follow
orders will be forced to accept an implant against his or her
will. He has also promised to have a chip implanted in himself but
could not tell the Examiner when.
"Im extremely busy and Im waiting until my hospitals and doctors
are able to run some screens," he told the newspaper.
Not everybody agrees with Thompson, the Examiner reported, noting
that the idea of implanting the chips in live bodies has some
veterans groups and privacy advocates worried.
"It needs further study, Joe Davis, a retired Air Force major and
a spokesman for the D.C. office of the Veterans of Foreign Wars,
told the Examiner.
And Liz McIntyre, co-author with Katherine Albrecht of "Spychips:
How Major Corporations and Government Plan to Track your Every Move
with RFID," said that VeriChip is "a huge threat to public
privacy.
"Theyre circling like vultures for any opportunity to get into our
flesh, McIntyre told the Examiner. "Theyll start with people who
cant say no, like the elderly, sex offenders, immigrants, and the
military. Then theyll come knocking on our doors.
In an e-mail to the Examiner, Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., wrote: "If
that is what the Defense Department has in mind for our troops in
Iraq, there are many questions that need answers. "What checks and
balances, safeguards, and congressional oversight would there be?
Leahy asked. "What less-invasive alternatives are there? What
information would be entered on the chips, and could it endanger
our soldiers or be intercepted by the enemy?
The company, the Examiner wrote, is also unsure about the
technology. According to company documents, radio frequencies in
ambulances and helicopters could disrupt the chips transmissions.
In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, VeriChip
also said it was unsure whether the chip would dislodge and move
through a persons body. It could also cause infections and
"adverse tissue reactions, the SEC filing states.
But Philbin downplayed the danger of the chips.
"Its the size of a grain of rice, she said. "Its like getting a
shot of penicillin.
http://www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2006/8/21/232558.shtml?s=ic