The Purpose of a Microchip Implant
A microchip implant is a device inserted into a living body, often for tracking and identification purposes. They are typically radio frequency identification chips, which are inserted under the skin and are read with a RFID reader to access the information contained on the devices. While they're often used for animals, there have been some applications for humans as well, which has raised many moral questions.
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Function
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An RFID chip implant typically contains not only the chip with the data, but also an antenna coil connected to a capacitor that uses the magnetic field of an external reader as energy to power the device. Thus, the microchip is passive and only actively functions when it is in contact with a reader. The circuitry is contained within a tiny glass container, which is itself covered by a plastic cap that keeps the implant from moving around under the skin. RFID implants are very small and often likened to the size of a single grain of rice.
In Animals
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Microchip implants have a common application as a method of identification for pets. The chip, which contains a code unique to the animal, is injected under the skin in a manner similar to a vaccination. In dogs, according to the Top Line Bulldogs breeding site, the chip is implanted in the scruff of the dog's neck. It is made to operate for around 25 years.
In Humans
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The microchip has also had applications for humans. In 2004, the United States Food and Drug Administration approved VeriChip, an RFID microchip that can be implanted in humans to carry a patient's health records when the patient cannot communicate the information. Since then, the chip has had other applications as a security access identification and a credit card. As of 2007, VeriChip Corp, the company that develops the chip, had been courting the military to use RFID chips as a replacement for traditional dog tags.
Benefits
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Because the microchips cannot be lost, an animal with a chip can still be recovered and returned to its owner even if the pet has lost its collar. This means that pets can be reunited with their owners after long periods of time and even after the pet has traveled very far away from its home.
According to the technology magazine IEEE Spectrum, there are many potential benefits to the use of RFID implants in humans besides carrying medical information. The chip shows potential for identity verification, automatic security clearance and even unlocking doors.
Criticism
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IEEE Spectrum also points out the potential problems with implanting humans with RFID chips, which focuses on various issues of privacy. The magazine proposes such situations as an employer knowing exactly when his or her employees leave work or a supermarket knowing exactly who their customers are and what they are buying. Additionally, in order to ensure the safety of the information contained on the implants, steps must be taken to prevent hacking and other such manipulations that would allow unwanted parties to take the information.
In 2006, the CEO of VeriChip suggested on television that chips could be implanted for identification purposes in people who are visiting a country as guest workers. This raised questions about who will pay for the cost of implanting the chip as well as whether such an act would be a cattle-like branding of a human being and therefore a human rights violation.
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