The Federal Drug Administration issued a ruling on Tuesday that essentially begins a final review process that will determine whether hospitals can use RFID systems from the company to identify patients and/or permit relevant hospital staff to access medical records, said Angela Fulcher, vice president of marketing and sales at VeriChip.
VeriChip sells 11-millimetre RFID tags that get implanted in the fatty tissue below the right tricep. When near one of Verichip's scanners, the chip wakes up and radios an ID number to the scanner. If the number matches an ID number in a database, a person with the chip under his or her skin can enter a secured room or complete a financial transaction.
"It is used instead of other biometric applications," such as fingerprints, Fulcher said.
The approval process does not centre on health risks or implications, Fulcher said. VeriChip can already sell implantable RFID chips in the United States for standard security applications and the financial market. The company's basic technology has also been used in animals for years.
Instead, the FDA may mostly examine privacy issues, Fulcher indicated. In other words, the agency will look at whether the technology will lead to situations where confidential information can get improperly disclosed.
Technically, the FDA on Tuesday issued a letter stating that there were no equivalent products on the market. This allowed VeriChip to then seek a de novo, or additional, review. The application process started in October 2003.
The Italian Ministry of Health kicked off a six-month trial of the chips for hospitals in April.
VeriChip, a division of Applied Digital Solutions, generated headlines worldwide recently with the announcement that the Attorney General of Mexico implanted one of the small company's RFID tags in his arm.
Fulcher said the basic technology has been around for a while. For 15 years, Digital Angel, a sister company under the Applied corporate umbrella, has sold thousands of tags for identifying animals. The US Department of Energy employs Digital Angel's technology to monitor salmon migration. Several implants have been placed in household pets and livestock.
"We believe the tags can last 20 years," Fulcher said.
The idea for employing the tags to identify humans came after the horror of the 11 Septemer, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon, Fulcher said. Richard Seelig, vice president of medical applications at Applied, saw on TV how firemen were writing their badge numbers on their arm with pen so they could be identified in the event of a disaster.
He inserted Digital Angel tags in his body and told the chief executive that they worked. VeriChip was born. In June, the company hired Next Level and Motorola alum Kevin Wiley as chief executive.
About 7,000 VeriChip tags have been sold, and approximately 1,000 have been inserted in humans. The chips only work with VeriChip's scanners. Along with scanners, VeriChip also sells complementary security systems for opening or shutting doors after the identification process.
So far, most of the sales have been outside the United States. Along with its attorney general's implant, Mexico has evaluated the chips as a way to better identify children in the event of a kidnapping. The Baja Beach Club in Spain has used them as electronic wallets to buy drinks. Sales have also taken place in Russia, Switzerland, Venezuela and Colombia.
"The applications that have taken hold at this point have been international so far," Fulcher said.
But FN Manufacturing, a South Carolina gun maker, is evaluating the technology for "smart guns," which contain sensor-activated grips so that only their owners can fire them.
The chips themselves are inserted into humans and animals with a syringe. When emerging from the syringe, the chips get coated with a substance called BioBond, which insulates the chip from the body and allows it to adhere to local tissue. If removed, it becomes inactive.
Privacy has been an issue for the company, but the complaints have actually begun to die down. "The pushback is less and less," Fulcher said.
The chip is an ID tag, Fulcher emphasised. When a person with an embedded chip passes near a scanner, the dormant chip simply wakes up and issues an ID number. The administrator of the security systems and databases determines how the information is used. A person has to stand within a few feet of a scanner for the tag to wake up. Thus, the tags can be used to follow someone's steps only when they are near scanners. The company's hand scanners can ping chips about 12 inches away, although the devices for counting salmon are 10 to 12 feet away from the fish.
Also, VeriChip is working on an implant that will contain a Global Positioning System. Such a device would allow an individual with a scanner to pinpoint someone's position on the globe.
The lab device, however, is relatively large right now, about the size of a pacemaker.
Talkback
So it starts!
Anyone who has the power (Governments, large organisations, etc..) will be able to track whosoever they want, whenever they want and, when the GPS version becomes viable, wherever in the world they want.
Is it just me or isn't this severly breaching our Human Rights? As we have a right to privicy!
It always starts like this. They say that it is for our own good and reel off a load of superficial reasons why we need to have them take our rights away from us whilst not revealing the down side and possibly the real reason for briging these Draconian measures.
People need to wake up and realise that they should protect their rights as much as they can because, before you know it, we'll have no rights and the powerful will be able to do what they want to us.
Surely we would have a choice. I don't want this under my skin. Do you have any info on this?
One world government, one world religion, and one world monetary system with a way of tracking everyone with the "mark of the beast" or face death, under the rule of the anti-Christ is Bible prophesy beginning to come true.
this is too freaky. i do not like the idea of this at all!!!!!!!!!!
I think this is an invasion of personal preference and rights. I hope our legislators will vote AGAINST this. If individuals want to participate, that's up to them, but it should not be mandatory for those who are against it.
Rev 13:16-17
And he causeth all, both small and great,rich and poor, free and bond, to recieve a mark in their right hand, or in there foreheads:
that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
What we are witnessing with RFID is the general move towards a microchipped world population, where all will come under the watchfull eye of the Antichrist Big Brother system.
the mark and the cashless society.
why do you think the telephone,electricity,pension,social security company's etc offer us bribes of cheaper bills if we only were to pay or be paid by direct debit.the goverment's want a cashless society.when cash goes our freedom goes. no more black market economy eg drug dealing,prostitution,working for cash in hand etc.the gov and the tax man will take their share of your credits at point of sale.they will know where when and what we buy by tracking our movements using the rfid tags implanted in the right hand or forehead.
why do you think all these cell phone masts are going up.the mark of the beast is just around the corner.so keep watch.
I think the control is already in place to control most everyone.
There is noplace on earth that you can't be tracked by satelite. Now they want "On Star" in all our cars. Add RFID tags for further insurance, your freedom is pretty much gone.
Isn't it already? Is there anyplace you can think of where you can go and be entirely left alone? Sooner or later, no matter where you are, someone will show up and tell you "You can't be here unless you pay......" Think about it.
The noose tightens, yet, everyone around you seems passive. Already pre-conditioned for slavery?
we are looking at the product rfid and we were wondering about implants being done in the london uk
could you suggest a website or a place that implants them thank you.
I don't mind an adhesive tag while I'm in the hospital, but I don't want anything injected into me that's permanent or even semipermanent.
Once we remove humanity from the equation and rely on data without the informal knowledge that goes with it, we're all at risk.
What a wonderful product. It doesn't invade my privacy at all .... not when I can refuse to have it implanted. But I would want it if the world would ever structure things to handle RFID. Imagine .... I leave my home and the door automatically locks. My car door unlocks automatically and it doesn't require an ignition key! How about padlocks which only I can open? Or a computer that won't start unless I turn it on. The application about using RFID to disable a firearm except for the owner is fantastic.
Unfortunately, advanced technology many times is forced to degrade when the "bleeding heart" liberals and "crusaders" and "I'll sue you" individuals get involved. I hope this is not the case here.
RFID chips are in many of the products that consumer pursch. I would like to get a list of products that contain RFID tags. This is stealing my personal data. It should be mandatory to disclose this information to the cousumer, then people will become aware of what a RFID tagorchip is. I simply would NOT purches that idem. We have a right to know what our money is truly fiRFID chips are in many of the products that consumer purchase. I would like to get a list of products that contain RFID tags. This is stealing my personal data. It should be mandatory to disclose this information to the consumer, then people will become aware of what a RFID tag or chip is. I simply would NOT purchase that idem. We have a right to know what our money is truly financing!!!nancing!!!
what are you thinking when you say it is not invading your privacy. I have been studying on this for a little while now and yeah they say it is a choice. Just like the national ID card but those states that don't participate will be sanctioned. And if the state participates then if the people don't they can't have credit, banking accounts, a job you will not exsist. Where is the choice? Then they have come up with a smart pill and it is alot cheaper than other test when it is approved if it isn't already you will be forced by your insurance carrier or you will pay out of pocket for that test. These people will sooner or later control us all if we don't fight against it and tell them no.