Under Your Skin: The FDA has cleared the way for a Florida company to market implantable chips that would provide easy access to individual medical records. The approval is expected to bring public attention to a simmering debate over a technology that has evoked Orwellian overtones for privacy advocates and fueled fears of widespread tracking of people with implanted radio frequency tags, even though that ability does not yet exist.
The manufacturer claims VeriChips, could save lives and limit injuries from errors in medical treatment. And it expressed hope that such medical uses would accelerate the acceptance of under-the-skin ID chips as security and access-control devices. Scott Silverman, Applied Digital Chairman said, “We believe there are far fewer people resisting this today, but it is far from clear whether implanted identification tags can overcome opposition from those who fear new levels of personal surveillance and from religious groups who contend that the tags may be the mark of the beast..” The rice grain size chip is inserted under the skin of the arm or hand with a syringe. (NY Times 10/14/04)
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